The Nanaimo RCMP has identified the owner of four rifles seized under suspicious circumstances this month and arrangements are being made to have the firearms returned.
According to an RCMP press release, the owner of the stolen rifles told investigators a family member called him on May 14 after seeing a news report about stolen rifles recovered by Nanaimo Mounties. It got him thinking that the rifles might be his, so the 52-year-old Nanaimo man called the investigating officer and after some discussion the officer was satisfied the rifles belonged to the caller.
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The owner also confirmed he reported them stolen on May 9 during a break-and-enter to a storage unit on his McCullough Road property, located about half a kilometre from where the suspect was caught with the weapons.
The owner inherited the rifles from his deceased father, but at the time of the break-and-enter he was not able to provide the serial numbers to the investigator. He has since found the necessary paperwork and will be able to retrieve the guns.
The 23-year-old man originally found with the rifles, is now facing a charges of possession of stolen property and unlawful possession of a firearm and further charges are pending in the investigation.
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