Mr T's Burley Road: Suspects carrying machetes lock cleaners in room as £9k stolen in Leeds armed robbery

Mr T's, in Burley Road, was targeted in the early hours of Monday morning (September 18) after the suspects entered through a back door. They snatched the restaurant's safe containing £9,000 before making off.

West Yorkshire Police has now launched an investigation into the incident and officers are keen to speak to anyone with information.

Tauseef Malik, 33, who owns the restaurant, shared the devastating impact the robbery has had.

"It's quite frightening for us because we've had to make changes," he explained. "Whereas we used to keep cash on site, we can't take that risk anymore. This robbery has set us back by a couple of months. We're just going to have to start again, because we won't get the money back."

Mr Malik added: "I'd encourage people to be vigilant and aware that this is happening. I'd say it's a problem that's getting worse - robberies in Leeds seem to have rocketed."

Police were called to the scene shortly after the robbery happened at around 4am. A spokesperson for the force said: "While cleaning staff were at the premises, four suspects armed with machetes had entered through a back door. They locked the cleaners in a room before stealing a safe."

Detectives from Leeds District CID are carrying out enquiries into the incident.

Anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in the vicinity around the time of the robbery or who has any information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact Leeds District CID by calling 101 quoting crime reference 13230519400 or via the force’s Live Chat website.