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Indian shot dead in Arizona robbery

Amrapali Singh

A 60-year-old Sikh, working alone at night at a convenience store was shot dead during a robbery attempt early on July 17 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The assailants are believed to be three men and a woman, either native American or hispanic, who got away in a car that also contained a 12-can pack of beer, the police said. Nothing else was reported missing.

The clerk, Dhirha S Greywal, was on the night shift, at the am/pm convenience store when the robbers struck. Greywal was found dead about 02:30 hours just outside the store doors, apparently trying to flee from the assailants. He was shot once in the chest with a handgun.

The car was later found abandoned near a school on nearby Indian reservation land. The police have interviewed four persons in this connection but no arrests have been made. The store's security cameras have yielded clues to the robbers' identity but the police are tight-lipped.

A native of Dolonkhurd village in Ludhiana, Punjab, Greywal was a driver for 32 years with Punjab Roadways, and then moved to the US three years ago. He had recently been to India on vacation. He shared a room with two Indians in the nearby city of Mesa. Roommates had helped Greywal get the job at the store, owned by a Gujarati, Anand Bhatia.

Greywal is survived by his wife and five children. His daughter Surinder Kaur, a resident of Bakersfield, California, was informed of his death by her uncle, Palwinder Brah, a businessman in Scottsdale. She arrived in Scottsdale on July 17 evening and took the body back for cremation to Bakersfield. Greywal's wife, who is in India, has also been informed of his death and may reach Scottsdale soon, Brah said.

"I employed Greywal thinking he was the best candidate for a night shift. He was polite, sincere and did not have the impulsive hot-headedness of youth. This is sometimes crucial in avoiding a delicate situation such as a robbery. Little did I know that a man's life is worth as little as a can of beer," Bhatia said.

Bhatia and his wife were informed of the robbery by the police at 03:30 hours. Bhatia believes it will be difficult for him and other store owners to ask people to work in the night shift, a view shared by a nearby convenience store worker Danny, 19.

"It is a dangerous shift and, after today, I don't think I will ever do a night shift," he said.

Brah and other members of the Sikh community and the Arizona Sikh Gurudwara Committee plan to submit a letter to the police, urging them to catch the culprits as soon as possible and to ensure the safety of other "graveyard" shift workers.

Next: Livin', breathin' India

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