Two people have been left traumatised after being held at gunpoint and assaulted by masked men who broke into their Oamaru home.
They are not yet able to confirm whether two men caught on camera snooping around another Oamaru property, less than two hours earlier, are linked to the later incident.
The home invasion incident happened about 5am on Saturday, when two men wearing scarves over their faces gained entry to a property in Holmes Hill, Oamaru, Detective Sergeant Chris Henderson, of Dunedin, said.
Once inside, they made their way to the master bedroom, where a male and female were sleeping, Det Sgt Henderson said.
"The men then held them at gunpoint and demanded money and drugs, assaulting them in the process, before leaving the address," he said.
The victims were later taken to Oamaru Hospital, where they were treated for moderate injuries, he said.
They were understood to have since been discharged.
It was not clear whether anything was taken from the address, but it had been "pretty traumatic" for the victims, he said.
Police attended and had carried out a scene examination, as well as speaking to the victims.
The case had been handed over to the Oamaru CIB, and further details of the victims and perpetrators were not available yesterday, he said.
The Holmes Hill incident came less than two hours after two men - one of them wearing a balaclava - were caught on camera snooping around the Archways Retreat bed and breakfast near Oamaru about 3.45am.
The owners of the bed and breakfast, located about 15km from Oamaru, later posted pictures and video of the two men on social media, along with a warning to others that thieves were operating in the area.
A police spokeswoman said last night they were aware of the post, but were yet to determine if the two incidents were linked.
