A woman in her 90s was forced to remain in her bedroom as intruders ransacked her home in an “abhorrent” burglary in Derry.
Three men with hoods and face coverings forced their way into the house at Rossbay in the Clooney area of the city at around 4am on Sunday morning.
The elderly householder was prevented from leaving her bedroom by one of the men while the other two ransacked the property.
A PSNI spokesperson said the men cut the internal phone line to prevent the woman raising the alarm before fleeing.
It is believed nothing was stolen during the incident, which has been linked to other suspected break-in attempts in the area.
“This intrusion was undoubtedly a frightening experience, although we are thankful that the woman was physically unharmed,” the spokesperson said.
”It’s particularly abhorrent that the actions of these criminals left an older person in such a vulnerable position, unable to seek help from her family.
“Our enquiries are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident. We have reason to believe that this burglary may be linked to three other suspected attempted break-ins in the area overnight.
”We would appeal to anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in the area, or who may have relevant doorbell or CCTV footage, to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 401 of 17/12/23.”
