An elderly couple were subject to a "horrific" attack and robbed in their home in Warrenpoint, Co Down, on Friday night, police have said.
At about 8pm, three men forced their way into the home of the couple, aged in their 70s. The woman was manhandled and thrown to the ground while her husband was grabbed by the throat.
The suspects searched the house and made off with a sum of cash, a mobile phone, three white gold rings and a leather wallet.
Detectives in Northern Ireland are also appealing for witnesses after an armed robbery at a shop in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim on Friday night.
Referring to the Warrenpoint burglary, Det Sgt Connor of the PSNI said: "This was a horrific attack and this couple endured a frightening and violent violation of their home. The individuals who carried out this attack have nothing to offer society and need to face the full rigour of the law.
“I am appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time to come forward and help us with our investigation.”
He appealed to members of the public: “Did you see anything suspicious in the Elmfield area or the Upper Dromore Road area of Warrenpoint yesterday evening or last night, were you driving in the area at around 8pm and have a dash cam?”
Information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is an anonymous service.
In Newtownabbey, at about 6.30pm, two men wearing balaclavas and armed with a hammer and a knife entered a shop and made off with a quantity of cigarettes and a charity box, police said.
The men are described as wearing dark-coloured coats and jogging bottoms.
The suspects are believed to have made off along the Doagh Road in the direction of Whiteabbey Hospital in a black Peugeot 308 car that had been reported stolen in a creeper-style burglary in Jellicoe Avenue in north Belfast some time on Thursday night.
Police appealed for anyone who witnessed the robbery or who has any information that can assist with the investigation to contact detectives in Antrim.
Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers. – Press Association