Police have arrested three people just 40 minutes after a rented tourist bus in Otago was ransacked and around $30,000 of belongings taken.
The quick response was thanks to CCTV footage from the bus and live GPS tracking.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond told Newshub about 9:45am on Sunday police received a report of a bus in Shag Point, Palmerston being broken into, with at least a dozen wallets and bags stolen, many of which had passports inside.
“The total amount of property stolen has been estimated to be around $30,000,” he said.
“CCTV footage from the bus assisted police in identifying two suspects from Christchurch, who had failed to return a rented van.
“With live GPS tracking, Timaru Police were able to locate the van and arrest the three occupants.”
A 26-year-old woman, a 28-year-old man and a 34-year-old man are due to appear in Timaru District Court on Monday.
The trio are facing a range of charges including unlawfully taking a motor-vehicle, theft, and wilful damage.
“It would be good to swap the tourists and send those criminals back overseas,” Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher laughed.
He told Newshub it was a “fantastic response from police sorting this out and getting everything back to the tourists”.
“It can be devastating when you’re travelling and someone rips you off like that.”