In the first incident, three masked men, armed with a hand gun, attacked an 86-year-old woman and her family at their isolated home outside Randalstown at about 2130 GMT on Tuesday.

The gang beat the woman's son-in-law on the head with a handgun before trying to pull rings from the pensioner's fingers

They escaped in the family's jeep taking a substantial amount of jewellery and money.

The woman, who suffers from a heart condition, was taken to hospital for treatment.

In the second attack, an 85-year-old woman was left traumatised following an attack at her home on the Crawfordsburn Road in Bangor.

Gun

A gang of three masked men pulled the pensioner from her back garden into the house.

They threatened to kill her pet dog if she did not give them money.

After ransacking the house they left, taking a substantial sum of money.

Police believe a gun may have been used in the attack.

Meanwhile, a large sum of money has been stolen from an 85-year-old man during a robbery at his County Londonderry home.

The incident happened in Dungiven at about 1715 GMT on Tuesday.

A man forced his way into the pensioner's house after asking for a drink of water.

When the robber left the elderly man discovered the money was missing from a drawer in the kitchen.