This is the moment a businessman fought off four armed robbers who broke into his home, while his wife was asleep upstairs. Asif Ali threw a flurry of punches on the balaclava-clad gang, before chasing them into the garden with a pair of kitchen knives.

The estate agent says ‘instinct kicked in’, with his main objective to protect his wife, after he saw a man dressed head-to-toe in black standing in the hallway of his Rochdale home last night.

CCTV footage shows Mr Ali, 35, landing several punches on the man, before also taking on his two accomplices who follow him into the house.

After being forced into the garden, one of the men threatened to kill Mr Ali, before going back inside armed with what is thought to be a screwdriver. However, Mr Ali fought back and ran into the kitchen, grabbed two knives and chased them outside once more.

The attempted robbery took place at Mr Ali’s home in Bamford at about 9.15pm yesterday.

Today Mr Ali, who runs an estate agents and a clothes shop in Rochdale town centre, spoke about the horrific ordeal.

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