Police are appealing for witnesses following an assault and robbery which took place around 12.45 am this morning near the Portobello Golf Course.
A 45-year-old man was walking on his own past Hope Lane and as he neared the exit of the footbridge in this area two men approached him.
At this time he was grabbed and felt a pain in his shoulder.
The men then robbed him of his mobile phone before running off over the footbridge and towards Portobello Golf Course.
After returning home, the victim contacted the police and ambulance service and was taken to hospital as a precaution to check on an injury to his shoulder.
Officers are now urging anyone who can assist with their inquiries to come forward.
The first suspect is described as white and around 5ft 8ins tall. He was wearing a grey sweatshirt and jeans and spoke with a local accent.
The second suspect is described as white, and was slightly smaller than the first suspect. He was wearing a black sweatshirt, jeans and also spoke with a local accent.
Detective Constable Kevin Walls from Craigmillar CID said: “At this time we are carrying out inquiries to establish whether the victim may have been assaulted with a syringe and while he was at hospital he was given all the necessary treatments and tests as a precaution.
“As part of this investigation we would like to speak to anyone who was in or around Hope Lane and the Portobello Golf Course during the early hours of Thursday morning and who remembers seeing anything suspicious.
“In addition, anyone with any further information that can help us identify the suspects is also asked to contact police immediately.”
Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101 or alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
