A Bible was part of the haul made by a thief targeting tourists in Merimbula but it provided no salvation against the speedy Merimbula police who had everything wrapped up in under 24 hours.
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Following the theft of a number of electronic goods from a family of tourists Merimbula police have not only arrested a suspect but returned all stolen items to the family and also to Tween Waters Holiday Resort where further items had been stolen.
On Sunday, October 5 a visiting family locked and left their Coast apartment on Fishpen to go out for the day. At some stage prior to the afternoon, the apartment was broken into and a large quantity of items belonging to the family, were stolen including iPads, iPhones, electronic goods, sports bags, a lady’s handbag and jewellery.
Merimbula police said that as a result of the break and enter the offender used credit cards found in the handbag to fraudulently obtain about $400 worth of goods, mainly alcohol, at Woolworths, Merimbula.
The offender then went to McDonald's and again used the credit cards to pay for food.
In the mid to late afternoon the card was used eight times during an hour, activity which alerted the bank that had issued the card.
Police were contacted after the bank alerted the family. Merimbula police then went to Woolworths to view CCTV footage and recognised the offender from a vehicle stop earlier that afternoon.
When police stopped the driver earlier they had issued a defect notice and had to hand all details of both driver and vehicle.
Armed with this information Merimbula police went on the hunt for the driver and at 7.48pm that same day stopped the vehicle along Monaro Street, Merimbula.
Police then subjected the driver, a 35-year-old Nowra man, and his vehicle to a search where all the reported stolen items from the apartment and fraudulently obtained goods from Woolworths were found within the vehicle.
Police located a small quantity of cannabis and drug paraphernalia as well as a bag containing a black balaclava, black gloves, and tools such as screwdrivers and pliers which police allege were used to gain entry to the Fishpen apartment.
Police found other items of interest including a flat screen TV, a duffle bag containing bed linen and a Bible, golf clubs and bag and a Sony DVD player which were all stolen from Tween Waters Holiday Resort around the same time.
The Nowra man was arrested and charged with nine offences in relation to breaking and entering, theft and the fraudulent use of credit cards.
He has already appeared at Bega Local Court and is due to appear again next month but in the meantime remains in custody, refused bail.
Police said that they were delighted to have recovered all stolen items and returned them to their owners within such a short space of time.