Gardaí at Naas are investigating an aggravated burglary and false imprisonment that occurred in the early hours of this morning, Friday 22nd April 2011.
Shortly after 1am the home of the local Post Mistress in Prosperous was forcibly entered by 4 men wearing balaclavas and armed with crowbars and a sledge hammer.
There were 3 female occupants in the house at the time ranging in age from mid 40's to mid 70's. They were all locked into one bedroom in the house and the post mistress was put into car and driven to the post office.
On arriving there it was not possible for the men to get access to money due to the security procedures and systems that were in place.
The 2 men then returned to the house with the postmistress and she was put back into the bedroom with the other 2 females. The culprits then fled the scene and the alarm was raised a short time later by one of the females who managed to escape.
No-one was physically injured.
This ordeal lasted approximately an hour and a half and anyone who may have seen activity from 1am to 2.30am between the Post Mistress's house in Ballinafagh and the Post Office itself in Prosperous is asked to contact Gardaí at Naas on 045 884300.
We are making a similar appeal to the public for any information in relation to suspicious activity that may have been seen at either of these locations for up to a week prior to this incident.
The post mistress and the other 2 ladies involved have been through a traumatic experience and while we appreciate any assistance that media can give us in appealing for information on this crime, we would ask that they respect the privacy of the individuals involved as far as possible.
Garda Press Office
22nd April 2011 11.00hrs
