Victoria, BC – Two Victoria men and a Victoria woman are facing charges after VicPD investigators, following up on an investigation into a grab-and-dash theft of a carved elephant, discovered a large cache of stolen property.
Officers were called to Hillside Mall on June 10th after a man was observed grabbing a carved wooden elephant from a store and fleeing. After gathering evidence, including surveillance footage, officers and members of VicPD’s Analysis and Intelligence Section recognized the suspect as a known prolific property offender.
Working with Sidney RCMP officers, investigators located the three suspects, sought and executed search warrants, and discovered the cache of stolen goods. The goods seized include large numbers of dolls, bedding lines, statues and electronics.
“This file is a great example teamwork,” said Acting Chief Constable Colin Watson. “Store staff, mall security personnel, private citizens and our RCMP partners all played a role in helping our officers with this investigation.”
Investigators are still tallying the values for the items seized, but with hundreds of exhibits catalogued, the overall value of the stolen items seized is estimated at potentially $100,000. The man remains in custody as the investigation continues. Several charges, including those for theft under $5000 and possession of stolen goods, are pending.
If you believe you or your establishment may be the victim of one of these thefts, please call the VicPD non-emergency line at (250) 995-7654. Officers will be working to return as many of the items as possible to their rightful owners in the coming weeks and months.