Staff at a shop in Inverness were threatened with a knife two days running in incidents police are treating as linked.
During the second incident, on Sunday, August 1, the armed man made off with cash from the till, estimated to worth between £100 and £200.
Detectives in Inverness are now appealing for witnesses after the incidents at Laidlaw’s on Bruce Gardens in the Dalneigh area of the city.
Detective sergeant Joanna Macleod said: “Both of these incidents were frightening ordeals for the staff members involved. These are unusual incidents for Inverness and we are carrying out extensive enquiries to identify the man responsible.
“While we are keeping an open mind, we are treating the incidents as linked.”
During the first incident, at around 10pm on Saturday, July 31, a man entered the convenience store shortly before 10pm and threatened a staff member with a knife.
The shop worker managed to repel the man who then fled.
He is described as being around 6ft or above in height, and of slim to medium build. He was wearing a blue and black hooded jacket with a white logo on the rear and dark bottoms.
The man was also wearing blue latex style gloves and a face covering.
At the same premises at around 11.45am the day after, a man again entered the shop and threatened a staff member with a knife and a wooden stick.
He then stole a sum of cash from the till, estimated to be around £100 to £200.
On this occasion the man was wearing a black hooded top with a large white Adidas logo on the front, blue jeans and dark trainers.
Detective sergeant Macleod has urged anyone who saw a man matching these descriptions on either Saturday night or Sunday morning in the Dalneigh area to get in touch with the police or anonymously through Crimestoppers.
Officers are also appealing for anyone in the area who may have private CCTV or dashcam footage to also get in touch with police by calling 101.