GARDAÍ ARE INVESTIGATING an attempted tiger kidnapping and post office robbery incident in Co Kildare in the early hours of this morning.

Gardaí say that four men in balaclavas armed with crowbars and a sledge hammer subjected three women ranging in age from mid 40s to mid 70s to the traumatic ordeal between 1am and 2.30am this morning but no one was physically injured.

Shortly after 1am this morning the four men forcibly entered the home of the local post mistress in Prosperous, near Naas in Co Kildare.

The men locked two of the three female occupants in the house into one bedroom. Two of the men stayed at the house while the other two took the post mistress in a car to the the post office where they were unable to gain access to money because of the security procedures and systems in place.

Gardaí say that they then returned to the house where the postmistress was locked back into the bedroom with the two other females and the culprits then fled the scene.

The alarm was raised shortly afterwards by one of the females who managed to escape.

In total the incident lasted an hour and a half and Gardaí are appealing for anyone who may have seen activity between 1am and 2.30am between the post mistress’ house in Ballinafagh and the post office in Prosperous to contact them at Naas garda station on 045 884300.

They are also appealing for any information in relation to suspicious activity that may have been seen at either of these locations for up to a week prior to this incident last night.