Detectives believe the incidents in Hyson Green and Sherwood this week are connected.
A man brandished a knife and demanded cash and jewellery in both burglaries.
These were extremely upsetting incidents for the victims,” Detective Inspector Kayne Rukas of Nottinghamshire Police said.
“Incidents like this are thankfully very rare and I would urge anyone with concerns to speak to an officer.
“While it is very early in our investigation, we believe the incidents may be linked to one another. However, we are currently investigating a number of avenues of inquiry.”
A man barged his way into a home in St Paul’s Terrace, Hyson Green, around 8.20pm on Monday (23 January).
The man used a meat cleaver to threaten a woman inside the house and demanded cash and jewellery.
Before the offender demanded more jewellery and bundled the victim upstairs, the victim handed over her phone and earrings.
He took more jewellery from upstairs and abused the woman, leaving bruises on her upper arms.
He was dressed all in black, including a black woolly hat or cap, white trainers, and a surgical face mask, and was described as an Asian man in his early 30s, around 6ft tall, and of slim build. Throughout the incident, he spoke in Punjabi.
The second incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Wednesday (25 January) in The Close, Sherwood, when an offender entered a home through an insecure door into the living room area.
He demanded money and jewellery from a female. The victim handed over her phone, which contained bank cards, earrings, and cash.
The offender, described as a tall and skinny Asian man who spoke Urdu, then walked away from the scene. He was dressed in a face mask and had a black beard and hair.
A member of the public discovered the victim’s phone in nearby Woodthorpe Avenue about an hour later.
“Both incidents occurred on busy residential streets, and I would appeal to anyone who may have seen anything that could assist us to get in touch,” Det Insp Rukas said.
“Drivers may have dash-cam footage of the incidents, and I would again encourage them to come forward.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 and reference incident 692 of January 23, 2023 or incident 627 of January 25, 2023.
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