A “gang” with knives and a baseball bat left a shop owner in Cardiff shaken after grabbing £600 from his till, a court heard.

Mohammed Rahman and Ahmed Mohamed admit robbery, while their co-accused Leban Osman and Fuaad Musa deny the charge and are on trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

Opening the case, prosecutor John Warren said: “A gang carried out an armed robbery.”

The court heard the incident occurred at Arora Cash Stores on Atlas Road in Canton just before 8.10pm on Friday, May 12 last year.

Prosecutors said shop owner Ashok Arora was in his 60s and had been working there for nearly 50 years.

Mr Warren told the jury: “Two hooded members of that gang – Mohammed Rahman and Ahmed Mohamed – entered and robbed him at knifepoint.”

In a statement given to the police, the victim said he was behind the till at the time and the shop door was propped open.

He said he saw two men come in wearing dark clothes with dark hoods and carrying “large” knives with blades between 6in and 8in long.

Mr Arora said the men shouted: “Give us all the money.”

He told police: “I could see the large knives. I stepped back and said ‘take it.’ I opened the till for them.”

The victim said the men took all the notes out of his till, before one asked: “Where’s the booze?”

He said they ran out and got into a blue car, which he saw drive off towards Cowbridge Road East.

Mr Arora added: “I quickly hit the panic button and the alarm sounded.

“The incident has left me very shaken and I don’t know how it will affect me in the future.”

He confirmed the men took about £600 in cash from the till.

Arora Cash Stores

Prosecutors allege Osman and Musa were “part of that gang”.

Mr Warren said they pulled up near the shop in a Fiat Punto, registered to Musa – who he described as the “getaway driver”.

He said Musa drove the “gang” to the shop, then waited in the car with Osman in Alexandra Road, before driving them all away afterwards.

Mr Warren added: “It is the prosecution case that they were very much part of this robbery.”

Prosecutors allege Osman received £10 and Musa £20 as “reward” from the others for their involvement.

The court heard a witness took down the number plate and reported the incident to the police, who saw the car on Cowbridge Road East.

They were stopped by armed officers on the A48 Eastern Avenue near the University Hospital of Wales.

Prosecutors said Musa was in the driver’s seat, with Osman in the front passenger seat, Mohamed behind the driver and Rahman behind the front passenger.

Mr Warren said officers recovered knives and cash from the car and found a baseball bat in the boot.

He added: “This gang had gone equipped to commit robbery.”

In his police interview, Osman told officers he had no idea what the others were planning to do and thought they were going into the shop to buy something.

Musa stated he thought the others were going into the store to buy food and said they told him to drive off because they were being chased.

Mr Warren said: “These two defendants were part of this criminal gang.”

Rahman, 19, from Court Road, and Mohamed, 20, from York Place, both in Grangetown, admit robbery.

Osman, 19, from Hafod Street, Grangetown, who is represented by Matthew Cobbe, denies the charge.

Musa, 20, from Wellington Street, Grangetown, represented by Gareth Morley, also denies robbery.

The case, presided over by Judge Jeremy Jenkins, is before a jury of seven men and five women and is expected to last for two days.