Gang interrogate 18-year-old girl at gunpoint for over an hour

AN 18-year-old was held at gunpoint for over an hour and ordered to reveal birth dates, phone numbers and other information as three armed and masked raiders attempted to break the combination of a safe in her parent’s home.

Gardaí in Athlone have appealed for help after the gang broke into the home of a businessman in an estate in the centre of the town. They tied up three people who were in the house at the time and threatened them after demanding they open a safe.

The terrifying ordeal began at about 3am on Saturday. They tied up the 18-year-old daughter, her boyfriend and her uncle, holding them captive for over an hour. The businessman, his wife and other daughter were on holiday in Cyprus at the time.

The young girl was the primary focus of the gang’s attention as they threatened her and demanded she reveal the combination of the safe. After an hour of interrogation, they believed she did not know the combination and they left. The girl’s family have since cut their holiday short and returned home.

Investigating gardaí confirmed yesterday that at least one of the men was armed with a sawn-off shotgun.

Sergeant Paul Cuttle of Athlone garda station said the aggravated burglary was being treated very seriously and the victims of the attack have been interviewed.

“We are still trying to establish how these raiders travelled. They may have had a car. We are keeping an open mind on the matter. It’s a very broad investigation. We’re trying to establish if these raiders had particular accents and to get precise details of how they looked.

“We are continuing to talk to the people who were in the house. They are still very shocked. This was a very serious crime. And we would appeal to anyone who saw anything suspicious in and around Athlone on the night in question to contact our incident room,” Sergeant Cuttle said.

Gardaí in Athlone can be contacted on (0902) 98551.