A father of three young children was shot dead in Manchester on Friday after confronting two robbers who attacked him as he closed his shop for the night, police have said.

Pragaret Singh, 35, was blasted in the chest and abdomen as he left Manchester Food Traders in Openshaw, Greater Manchester police said on Saturday.

Detectives said Singh, known to family and friends as Charlie, was believed to have grappled with at least one of the men before being shot. He died later in hospital.

Det Supt Jon Chadwick said: “Although this investigation remains in its infancy, at this stage we believe Charlie’s death was the result of simply trying to protect his business from armed robbers, during which he was shot at least twice.”

The robbers are believed to have made off with a “large amount of money”.

Armed officers swooped on the scene in Wood Street, east Manchester, at 6.20pm on Friday and found Singh, from Swinton, lying nearby.

Chadwick added that Singh’s family had been left “absolutely and utterly distraught” at his murder.

He said: “At this stage of our inquiry we believe this is the tragic death of an innocent businessman and father of three who was simply trying to protect his livelihood from criminals.

“As a result, Charlie’s entire family have suffered an unimaginable loss.

“Their lives have been shattered and specially trained officers will be providing as much support as the family need over the coming days and weeks.”

Singh’s brother Toggy told the Manchester Evening News his brother was a hard-working family man with a wife, Sukhwinder, and children aged two, five and seven.

He told the paper: “He was robbed of his life. He was happy, jolly and full of life – he never said anything bad about anyone. He was the kind of person who would go out of his way to help anyone in need.”

The assistant chief constable Zoe Sheard said there would be a visible police presence in the area for the coming days and weeks.

She added: “I would also urge people to ensure their security measures are in place, such as making sure any CCTV is working, looking out for anyone suspicious hanging around the area and being aware of your surroundings when locking up.”