Masked robbers menaced a baby with a butcher’s knife as they ripped gold rings from his mother’s finger during a raid on a house in a Shipley street.

And yesterday distraught mother-of-five Noreen Akbar told how the terrifying ordeal began when she innocently answered a knock on her back door expecting to find a friend or neighbour.

“My husband Mohammed is a postman and was at work and I was downstairs cooking and cleaning when I heard a noise at the door,” said Mrs Akbar, 34.

“I thought it must be a friend or a neighbour so I opened the door a bit and said ‘who is it?’ “Somebody said ‘Adam’ and so I opened the door as I thought it was a friend’s son.

“But there were two big men all dressed in black with handkerchiefs tied around their faces and one of them was holding out a big, thick-bladed butcher’s knife.

“They shouted ‘Get in’ and ‘Get him’ talking about my little boy Ibrahim who was with me at my feet.

“They pushed their way in and the one with the knife picked up Ibrahim and sat him down on a sofa while the other one shouted: ‘Give me gold, get the money out!’ “He was talking with a Mirpuri Pakistani accent,” said Mrs Akbar, who comes from the Punjabi region of Pakistan.

“I told them I didn’t have any money and while the knifeman stayed with Ibrahim, the other man pushed me upstairs.

“Ibrahim was just screaming and screaming. It was like a nightmare.

“He pushed me into the bedroom and I tried to get to an open window to call for help, but then the man grabbed me by the head from behind and threw me down on to the bed – it really hurt and it broke the bed.

“He drew the curtains and I thought anything could happend.

“Again he shouted: ‘Get out the jewellery, you’re lying!’ “He went for my rings and pulled them off bruising me badly.

“Then I got my jewellery box out, which just had my husband’s wedding ring and other things in it, and he said, in English ‘Oh, it looks fake’.”

Her tormentor then pushed her back down the stairs where the other robber was rifling purses which held about £250.

Mrs Akbar was then shoved down into the cellar of the house which is near the Branch Pub in Bradford Road and the two raiders fled.

“They didn’t take anything else, phones or laptops – it was just gold and money they wanted,” she said.

“I’m just so relieved that Ibrahim wasn’t harmed in anyway. It was just like a terrible dream and I’m still in shock.”

Detective Inspector Richard Partis said: “We appeal to the local community to come forward with any information they might have about this incident. We seriously believe an answer to this crime will be in the local community.”

The men were described as Asian and aged about 18 or 19.

The first suspect was of a broad build with black hair in a neat style but slightly raised from his head. He was lightly tanned, had brown eyes, and bushy eyebrows. He wore a black tracksuit and a black handkerchief with red and white stripes over part of his face.

His accomplice was slim, had short black hair, a dark complexion and wore a black tracksuit and black handkerchief over his face.

Police have also asked people who may have been offered the stolen jewellery to come forward. The rings are Asian 22 carat gold and valued at about £90. One has three small diamonds and the other has black diamonds and a pearl.

Anyone with information about the raid at 11am on Wednesday should call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.