Pensioner dies of heart attack after knife raid at corner shop

Police today launched a murder hunt after the 65-year-old man suffered a heart attack when he was held up at knifepoint by the robber.

The victim was helping out his friend whose sons own the store when a masked man in his twenties burst in demanding money.

The raider put the knife to the man's throat before reportedly stabbing him in the side of the stomach.

Today it emerged the victim - named as Arulanantham Jayasundarakumar - had arrived in Britain just months earlier from Sri Lanka with his wife.

The robber attacked the Jena store in Newbury Park, east London, just after 8pm yesterday.

The shop's co- owner Arunan Jenanachandren described today how he raced to the convenience shopwhen his father Nadarajah, called him to say Mr Jayasundarakumar had been attacked.

He told how he held the hand of the family friend - known affectionately as "Uncle" - before paramedics battled to save his life at the scene. Mr Jenanachandren, 23, said: "I wasn't there but saw the CCTV before I had to give it to police. Between quarter past and half past eight this guy came in wearing a woolly hat and a blue jacket. His face was almost completely covered.

"He walked straight in and down the shop then he came round behind my uncle, got behind him at knifepoint to his neck and asked him for money. He was just asking 'Money money, money'.

"My dad went for the cash so he could get rid of him but my uncle kept on moving his arms because he was panicking. Then the guy pushed him towards the till area. My dad was going to hand over the cash to the guy when suddenly he let go of my uncle and ran out of the shop and my uncle fell down.

"My dad phoned the police thinking it was just an attempted robbery and at that moment he saw blood so he told them that my uncle was injured and asked for an ambulance.

"My dad then rang home and I ran to the shop and as I got there the police and ambulance were just arriving.

"My uncle was lying on the ground with blood around him. There were two guys helping him. I came in and held his hand for a brief time. I just said to him 'Don't worry, hang on, hang on'.

Mr Jayasundarakumar died at the shop and a post-mortem will take place today at East Ham mortuary.

Mr Jenanachandren said Mr Jayasundarakumar was talking about moving back to Sri Lanka shortly before last night's attack. He said: "He didn't like life over here so much. He missed the climate and the colour of Sri Lanka, where he had land and space rather than all this greyness and rain. But he had wanted to be with his family."

A police spokesman said: "The circumstances of the incident are being investigated by officers from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command. We are keeping an open mind re motive at this very early stage."

Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room number at Barking on 020 8345 3865 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.