Sydney mobile phone reseller robbed at gunpoint

A Campbelltown mobile phone reseller has become the third NSW-based IT services provider to be targeted by armed robbers in nine days.

Allphones, a mobile phone retail franchise in Campbelltown Mall in Western Sydney, was robbed on Saturday, local police said.

A man who looked Mediterranean or Middle Eastern entered the Queen Street store at about 3:40pm on 4 September. The man threatened the sales clerk with a gun before stealing three mobile phones and some money, police said.

A media liaison sergeant at Campbelltown police said that detectives were working on leads.

"The detectives are looking into closed circuit TV footage," he said.

It was not known if the incident was connected to any other robberies and he believed that the actual total number of armed robberies in the Campbelltown area was decreasing, he added.

"It could have been an isolated incident," he said.

The robber was thought to be about 30 years old. He was slim, about 170 or 175cm tall and had short dark hair. At the time of the crime, he was wearing a blue T-shirt, jeans and dark sunglasses, police said.

The man was last seen walking towards the lower level car park exit at Campbelltown mall on Saturday afternoon, police said.

Allphones is one of a string of 77 franchised outlets based out of Western Australia. It stocks products from Telstra, Vodafone, Virgin Mobile, Optus and Panasonic. It is the third NSW-based IT provider victimised by armed robbery in recent weeks.

Two internet cafes in the central Sydney suburb of Surry Hills were robbed by armed men within a week in incidents that police believe may be linked to other recent robberies in nearby Gladesville and Petersham.

Four men stole money and a mobile phone from a cafe on Thursday, 2 September while a second was robbed on Thursday, 26 August.

A spokesman for Allphones said that the store had not experienced any other recent security problems. However, Allphones preferred not to discuss the matter further until the police investigation had been concluded, he said.

NSW Police would like anyone with information about the Allphones robbery to contact Campbelltown police on (02) 4620 1199 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 immediately.