Six masked thieves - one armed with a machete - targeted Manurewa jewellery store Glitter Jewellers, taking a $1 million worth of jewels and gold and terrifying staff and customers. 

Security footage of the brazen heist shows the group of masked robbers bursting into the South Auckland store wielding weapons on Anzac Day just before closing time. 

Four shocked and scared staff members quickly sought refuge at the back of the store, while five customers fled in terror with two leaping over the counter and another ducking underneath the cabinets. A couple can be seen hugging each other while mayhem unfolded before managing to escape past the robbers out the shop’s front door. 

In a heartstopping 45-seconds the group smash every cabinet with their weapons, emptying trays of jewels and gold bangles into their bags, while a pair sweep gems from the shop’s shelves. 

The robbers leave the store carrying trays of gems and full bags when the smoke cannon ignites 16 seconds into the heist. 

A police spokesperson said they responded to a reported robbery at a commercial premises on Great South Rd at 5.35pm. 

“Enquiries are ongoing to determine whether anything was stolen, and there is some damage to the premises. Nobody was injured.” 

This smash and grab was another in a spate of recent attacks hitting jewellery stores across the country. 

Five armed robbers wearing masks and clad “head to toe” in black stormed a Michael Hill Jeweller store in a West Auckland mall yesterday afternoon and used hammers to smash glass cabinets before making off with the loot. 

It follows a similar attack which occurred just 10 days ago when four armed thieves targeted the Michael Hill Jeweller store at Dress Smart Onehunga. 

A Partridge Jewellers in Newmarket Mall was targeted twice in nine days. 

The first incident at Patridge saw staff flee to a locked backroom as thieves ransacked the shop. 

Staff were closing the store about 8.55pm when a stolen Toyota Aqua reversed into the shop. 

A group of six then began smashing cabinets with hammers and tyre irons and stealing expensive pieces. Baldwin said the group made off with a “large quantity” of jewellery. 

While the second incident saw a person enter the store at 7.30pm and steal several items before leaving the scene in a vehicle that had several other occupants. 

This story was originally published on the Herald, here