Woman And Children Held Captive In Aggravated Burglary

The PSNI have issued an appeal for information after a woman and four young children were held captive as their home was ransacked in an aggravated burglary in East Belfast on Saturday, 06 April.

Police received a report that around 10.45pm, four masked men entered a house in the Greenwood Hill area of Castlereagh.

A woman and four young chlldren were in the home at the time and threatened with a screwdriver, before being taken to an upstairs bedroom by two of the men, while the other ransacked the home.

A quantity of jewellery was stolen, along with a tablet device, before the men made off at around 11pm. Detective Sergeant Cargin said: "Understandably, the family were left extremely distressed by this incident.

"Enquiries are continuing and we would appeal to anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in the area to contact us on 101 quoting reference number 2044 of 06/04/24.

"We would also be keen to speak to anyone who noticed a white Volkswagen Golf in the area, and would ask locals to check their CCTV and doorbell footage."

You can also submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/

Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.