Hastings police say officers came face-to-face with a stolen elephant ornament when they visited the home of a person allegedly behind a spate of recent garden thefts.
Police are now looking for the owners of several "much-loved" gnomes as the officers believe there may be more victims.
They are urging people in the St Leonard's area of Hastings to approach authorities if their garden ornaments have "mysteriously disappeared" in recent months.
"Police believe there may be more victims as a large number of ornaments, from garden gnomes and cupids, to pottery hedgehogs and rabbits, have so far been recovered."
Speaking to Police's Ten One Magazine, Detective Sergeant James Forgie explained the ongoing saga after a "spate of garden ornament thefts".
He said officers from the Hawke's Bay Volume Crime Team were deployed to a house in Hastings following a tip-off about the alleged thefts.
"The team went to visit the suspect and as they approached their front door, they passed what they believed were stolen ornaments in the garden.
"On entering the property to speak to the alleged offender, they came face to face with a stolen elephant ornament in the middle of the room.
"A woman has been charged with three counts of burglary and inquiries are continuing," a police spokesperson said.
Police are urging anyone in the St Leonard's area whose "garden ornaments, or any other items from their porch or front yard area, have mysteriously disappeared in recent months" to contact authorities, citing file number 231231/9679.
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