A scratched-off serial number on an expensive cutting machine was a giveaway for police in Hastings, who have seized thousands of dollars of machinery and tools found at a Flaxmere address on Monday.
But now the police, who have not yet charged anyone with any offence relating to the equipment, have
the job of identifying the owners of the dozens of items which were recovered, says Detective Sergeant Mark Moorhouse.
The fact that a serial number had been scraped off what appeared to be a "very expensive" Dynapak 4XI 40amp plasma cutter was a clear indication that many or all of the items were stolen, he said.
Today he was calling for victims of thefts which might have involved the equipment to contact police.
Victims who had had items replaced through insurance should also contact police to help identify where the items had come from.
Among other notable items were a Transmig 140 Mig Welder, and a Stahwille toolbox carrying the words "Proudly supplied by Toyot".
There were also grinders, sanders, saws, and Sidchrome spanner sets initialised with the letters "DJM".
