A brave woman stepped in to tackle a pair of masked robbers after they launched a nighttime raid at the Texaco petrol station in Longforth Road in Wellington.

Rizhana Pattan, the garage supervisor, intervened when two men who were using T-shirts to hide their faces attempted to make off from the premises with crates of alcohol on Friday night, April 7.

The thieves removed two crates of Italian beers from the store's refrigerator and made for the exit. Ms Pattan physically tackled one of the criminals, succeeding in taking back one of the crates of beer.

She then went to grab the second crate, before the robber shoved her and fled from the scene.

Ms Pattan was stocking shelves when the criminals arrived, while her husband, Bharath Aakula, was behind the till. He called the police the moment the assailants entered the shop.

Ms Pattan said: "I was restocking the crisps, and they walked in using T-shirts as masks. It was looking dodgy, one guy was standing by the automatic doors to prevent them from closing and the other guy went straight to the alcohol section.

"He picked up two cases of 12 pack beers, one was Madri and the other one was Peroni, 24 bottles in total. I told the guys they need to either go away or take their masks off. They said 'oh no we have Covid, we have Covid.'

Ms Pattan was replenishing the shelves of crisps when she turned to take on the masked robbers
Ms Pattan was replenishing the shelves of crisps when she turned to take on the masked robbers (Tindle )

"I said 'I don't care what you have, you have to take your masks off, and if you don't you have to go'. Then one guy picked up the cases and was going to walk out but I was by the door.

"I took one of the cases of beer from him, but the other one he took. He pushed me and he was gone.

"They were around 18 or 19 years of age. These guys were shivering and shaking, that's why I tried snatching one off them. They weren't scary or anything, I think they just didn't have any money."

The robbery comes after the Texaco garage has suffered an increase in thefts over recent weeks and months. Ms Pattan said: "Last month we had a kid who came in and one guy was trying to divert me while another stole a sandwich.

The garage was the target of a further theft this month, when a man came in and walked out with a four-pack of beer without paying.

After Ms Pattan and her husband reported the incident to the police, officers arrived two days later to examine the CCTV footage.

Avon and Somerset Police have issued a public appeal to help identify the culprits.

Avon and Somerset Police released this image, appealing for anybody who recognises the men to come forward
Avon and Somerset Police released this image, appealing for anybody who recognises the men to come forward (Tindle)

In a statement, a spokesperson for Avon and Somerset said: "Police would like to speak to these two men as part of their ongoing investigation into a theft in Wellington.

"Officers believe the two men have information which could aid their enquiries into the incident at a service station in Longforth Road, Wellington, on Friday 7 April.

"At around 9pm on Friday, two unknown men walked into the service station and stole some items. When they were confronted by a woman, one of the offenders pushed her and made off from the scene. If you have any information, or recognise the people in the image, please call 101 and quote reference 5223081024"