Police are hunting armed robbers who stole money from a property in a rural part of the Highlands.
The intruders, who were believed to have been masked, made off with an undisclosed amount of cash in the incident in the scattered community of Foxhole, near Kiltarlity, at about 7pm on Monday.
No one was injured but a large-scale police investigation was launched.
Today a number of forensic experts and plain clothed detectives were at the scene along with uniformed officers who carried out inquiries at nearby farmhouses.
Marked police vehicles made several visits to the property, one of a cluster of houses and static caravans obscured from the single track road leading through acres of farmland.
Detectives are appealing for anyone with information to come forward urgently.
Detective Inspector Craig Still said: “A report was received of a robbery at a property near Kiltarlity which happened around 7pm on Monday.
“Nobody was injured during the incident, but a sum of cash was stolen. Inquiries are now ongoing to establish the full circumstances.
“These inquiries are at an early stage and the local community may notice a continued police presence in the area.
“Anyone who may have information is asked to call 101, quoting incident 2809 of 19 October, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
The crime site is on a quiet and peaceful hillside a few miles south of Kiltarlity, some 10 miles from Inverness, in an area of farmland. The targeted property is at the end of a dirt track several hundred yards long.
A sign leading to the houses warns visitors the area is covered by CCTV. It reads: “Images are being monitored for the purpose of crime prevention and public safety”.
People living near the robbery site said they were unaware what had happened. One said: “The police came and asked some questions, but I didn’t see anything. It’s good no one was hurt, that’s the main thing.”
Another said: “We have seen a bit of police activity today but I’m not sure what happened.”
Another local resident said they were shocked at the incident; “We have seen police cars passing and wondered what was going on. Normally in a small place like this you hear about things pretty quickly, but we did not hear anything about this.
“It’s quite a surprise, it’s a very quiet place. But the fact no one was hurt is good.”