A woman who was punched in the face during a daylight robbery has had her Hoppers Crossing house broken into.
The woman, 54, was walking home from Werribee Plaza along Westmill Drive on May 23 when a man on a grey mountain bike grabbed her handbag.
The woman refused to let go and punched the man in the chest.
The man punched the woman in the face, breaking her glasses and causing her to let go of her bag.
Then, on June 3, arriving at her Westmill Drive house, she discovered she had been robbed.
Police said the house was broken in to between 10.15am and 1.30pm after a bedroom window was smashed.
A digital camera and some cash were stolen.
Wyndham crime investigation unit detectives believe the incidents are connected.
The man on the bike is aged in his 20s, with shot dark hair and acne scarring or pitting on his face. He is believed to be of Islander appearance.
At the time of the mugging, he was wearing an orange high-visibility vest, windcheater and jeans.
The incidents happened just days after police released crime statistics revealing that crimes against the person in the municipality have risen 25 per cent in the past year.
Crime Stoppers: call 1800 333 000.
