A woman has been reunited with hundreds of dollars' worth of Christmas gifts after her car was allegedly broken in to and the gifts stolen just days before Christmas.
It comes after Moonee Ponds police received reports of a suspicious man at the intersection of Crisp and Dalene streets, Essendon at about 6.30am on Monday 20 December.
Police attended and located the man nearby allegedly in possession of a number of wrapped Christmas presents, jewellery and an iPad, which were believed to be stolen.
The teenager was arrested but later released pending further enquiries as no owner for the items was able to be identified.
A receipt found amongst the items led police to the store where they were purchased.
After unsuccessfully attempting to track down the buyer via a customer database, police left details in the event someone came forward.
Several days later, Essendon woman, Kerri contacted the store after discovering that her vehicle had been broken into and her Christmas gifts stolen.
Kerri was delighted to learn her Christmas gifts were safely in the hands of police and today attended Moonee Ponds Police Station to collect them. One of the items returned was a set of bookends which were a sentimental item linked to a family story.
A 17-year-old male youth is expected to be charged via summons with several theft-related offences.
