West Shore RCMP are classifying as unrelated two separate home invasion robberies that occurred less than six hours apart in Langford and Colwood last week.

A 25-year-old woman was assaulted in the presence of her four-year-old child at about 7 p.m. on Jan. 1, after a reported seven masked men forced their way into her home in the 800-block of Brock Avenue in Langford.

The invaders ransacked the home and left with an undisclosed amount of money and jewelry. West Shore RCMP, with the help of the Saanich police canine unit, conducted a search of the area, but did not locate any of the suspects.

The woman was taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries. The child was not physically harmed.

Police are asking for the public's help to solve this crime. Call 250-474-2264 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS with any information on the incident.

At about 12:30 a.m. the next morning in Colwood, West Shore RCMP caught redhanded three of four perpetrators as they fled a home in the 3100-block of Antrobus Cres. after a invasion-style robbery.

A witness called police to report seeing four people get out of a vehicle on the street and act suspiciously. Officers responded immediately and determined a home invasion may have been in progress.

Two men and a woman were arrested without incident as they left the targeted home. A fourth suspect, a woman, escaped the scene.

West Shore RCMP Const. Alex Berube said the two occupants of the home were threatened, but were not physically harmed. The Colwood home was also ransacked during the robbery and cash and electronics were taken and recovered during the arrests.

Berube credited the "swift thinking of a concerned citizen" for allowing police to arrive on scene quickly enough to make the arrests. He added there was no indication that the two robberies were related and that they appeared to be isolated incidents.

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