A crew of four suspects robbed Jay Maharaj Grocery, located at 45-01 47the Ave., early Monday (Photo: Google Maps)
May 1, 2023, By Michael Dorgan
A crew of four suspects robbed a bodega at gunpoint in Woodside early morning Monday, May 1, according to police and the store’s owner.
The suspects burst into Jay Maharaj Grocery, located at 45-01 47the Ave., at around 1 a.m. and displayed a firearm at owner Mukesh Bhai Patel who was mopping the floor and getting ready to close, Patel told the Queens Post.
“‘Give me the money, give me the money, f**king die,’ they said to me,” 69-year-old Patel said.
Patel said he told the suspects he didn’t have any money, but they ran to the cash register and stole between $6,000 and $7,000. Patel said he is distraught since the money stolen was his total earnings from the previous three days.
He said they then tried to break into an ATM but were unsuccessful. There were two customers in the bodega at the time of the robbery.
Police said the suspects then fled the location northbound on 45th Street.
Patel said eyewitnesses told him they saw the crew getting into a BMW before fleeing.
Patel, originally from India, said it was the first time his store has been robbed since he opened 12 years ago. He has lived in Queens since he immigrated 27 years ago.
The NYPD said there are no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing.
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