Gang crime in west Belfast

Gang crime in west Belfast, a gang is being blamed for an aggravated burglary in the area during which a couple in their 50s were threatened at gunpoint and told that their son was being held hostage. Four men entered the house in Springfield Park at around 9pm on Saturday night. It is understood some of the men were armed with handguns. The gang claimed they were holding the couple's son and demanded money. The gang left empty-handed and when the couple phoned their son they found he was safe. A short time later a woman in her 30s was pushed from her car as it was hijacked along the Springfield Road. The woman was driving in her black Mitsibushi Shogun when she was flagged down at around 9.30pm. When the car stopped, three men, including the male who stopped her, got into the car. They then travelled a short distance before coming to a police vehicle checkpoint. The men then pushed the woman out of the car and drove off. The vehicle was recovered in the Clonard Heights area about an hour later. Police and army technical officers were at the scene for several hours yesterday to examine the vehicle. It is understood that detectives are investigating a link between the burglary and hijacking.