A string of robberies across Salford have police hunting for two men who targeted four victims in violent attacks in which a man was headbutted and another threatened with a knife last month.
The first incident occurred at 9pm on Wednesday August 28 as a 17-year-old teenager walked along New Bridge Street, Blackfriars.
He was using his phone when he was approached by two men on bikes who demanded he gave them his phone and told the victim he had a knife. The victim dropped his phone before both rode away.
Twenty minutes later on Regent Road, Ordsall, a 27-year-old woman was using her phone and stopped next to a wall when two men appeared from behind the wall and pushed her to the ground before stealing her phone.
At 9.50pm on the same night, a 19-year-old woman got off a bus at the junction of Cromwell Road and Lower Broughton Road, when she was approached by two men who threatened her and demanded her phone.
The following day at 9.35pm, a 23-year-old man was walking on Regent Road and listening to music on his phone when a man walked up to him.
He was assaulted and fell to the floor as the robber tried to take his rucksack before a passer-by intervened.
Detective Constable Gareth Mark, based at Pendleton Police Station, said: “Due to the descriptions of the offenders given and the fact they were riding bikes, we believe that these crimes are linked.
“Each time, the men have acted aggressively and threatened their victims. On one occasion, a 23-year-old man was subjected to a violent assault and was punched and headbutted to the face.
“These robberies have taken place in student areas and due to the annual influx of new students I would ask them to be vigilant. If you are going out, stick to well-lit areas and be aware of your surroundings. Keep valuables out of view and think about registering them on immobilise.com.
“Once they are registered, they can be tracked and recovered quickly which can help lead police to identifying and arresting the offenders.”
The men have been described as being white, in their late teens or early 20s, wearing dark clothing, hooded tops and baseball caps, spoke with local accents and riding mountain bikes.
Anyone with information should phone police on 0161 856 5351 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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