Christmas burglars hold up couple at home in Xanthi

Police in Xanthi, northern Greece, are looking for clues into the identities and whereabouts of a group of armed burglars who broke into a house while the occupants were still there on Christmas night.

According to initial reports, the burglary was carried out by five men wearing balaclava masks and gloves to hide their identities and wielding a gun and lead pipes, which they used to intimidate the couple who were in the house when the break-in took place.

The perpetrators made off with an undisclosed amount of cash, jewelry and other valuables, reportedly threatening the couple with violence but not injuring them.

Police officers dispatched to the scene found the victims' cellphones a short distance from the house, where the burglars had presumably dumped them as they ran off with their loot.