Burglars 'threatened man with fake gun, tied him up and shoved him into toilet' during terrifying raid in south London

A man in his 50s was threatened, bound and pushed into a toilet during a terrifying burglary at his home in south London, police have said.

Detectives are appealing for information following the incident which took place on Whately Road, East Dulwich, on September 23.

The victim was home alone in his living room when he heard someone coming down his stairs.

He assumed it was his partner returning home early and was not worried, Scotland Yard said.

He was then confronted by two unknown men, one of whom was holding a firearm.

They demanded money before hitting him over the head with the weapon. They also attempted to discharge it several times unsuccessfully, leading police to believe it may have been an imitation.

The victim struggled with the suspects before they bound his feet and wrists with tape.

They pushed him into the downstairs toilet before rifling through the house.

The victim was eventually able to escape and alerted his neighbours, who called police. He was treated for a head injury by the London Ambulance Service.

The suspects are believed to have fled with a large amount of cash as well as electrical appliances and jewellery.

One of the suspects is described as being “Middle Eastern European”, of slight build, in his late teens or early 20s, with dark brown skin, black hair, a black beard and a thin pointed nose.

He did not appear to speak a lot of English and was repeatedly heard saying: “Money, money, money”.

The second suspect is described as being an Asian man, possibly south-east Asian, of a stockier build, around 5ft 10ins tall.

He had short black hair and was wearing blue latex gloves.

PC Daisy Puplett, investigating, said: "I urge anyone who may have been in the vicinity at this time and date and saw two males acting suspiciously to contact us immediately.

“The victim was left terrified following this traumatic incident and we are doing everything we can to find those responsible."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference Cad 4757/23Sept.

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