A woman was bundled into a car by three fake police officers, driven to her home, beaten and robbed of thousands of pounds.

The gang struck in Ambrosden, near Bicester, yesterday morning as the 30-year-old woman was leaving a village shop.

As she got to her black Range Rover outside the Spar shop in Ploughley Road at around 10.20am, three men claiming to be the police, kidnapped her and then punched her about the head as they drove her back to her home in East Hawthorn Road.

Once there, they got inside her house where her boyfriend was taking a bath. The trio then attacked him.

It is understood the men then stole thousands of pounds in cash at the property and then, in a bizarre twist, drove the woman’s Range Rover back to outside the Spar shop, before fleeing the area in their own getaway car.

Last night, the victims were said to be devastated by what had happened.

Speaking on the doorstep of his home, the boyfriend told the Oxford Mail he had “no idea” why they had been targeted, but speculated it “could have been opportunists”.

He said of his partner, who needed treatment at the JR Hospital for a head injury: “She is devastated. She does not even want to be here anymore, she has gone to stay with a friend.”

Workers at the Spar shop did not witness the attack. But sales assistant Barbara Rollmann said: “I think it is really shocking and unusual. It must have been planned for a while.

“Normally there are lots of people around, but it is the holidays.”

Back in East Hawthorn Road – which used to be exclusively married quarters for military personnel – neighbour Peter Baker described the couple as ‘nice people’. “They are good neighbours, we are all close on this block,” he said.

The men who carried out the attack have been described as white and in their 30s. One wore a balaclava while the others had scarves covering their faces.

Det Sgt Howard Berry, who is leading the investigation appealed for information. He said: “This is a very serious incident and we are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen these men.

“They returned to the shop, so we want to hear from anyone who saw them leaving the Range Rover and getting into another vehicle. We want to know what type of vehicle this was and which direction it travelled in when it left the scene.

“Our investigation is on-going and we have a team of officers working in the local area, speaking with local residents and doing door-to-door enquiries.”

Anyone with information should call Det Sgt Berry on 08458 505 505 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.