A garda trawl of CCTV and a bit of on-the-ground detective work has reunited a tourist with a suitcase full of Christmas presents that were stolen from a bus over the festive season.

The woman had arrived in Dublin airport from Scotland and was making her way to Drogheda on December 22 by bus when the suitcase was taken.

She only noticed that it had been taken from the luggage rack when she reached her destination.

The distressed woman reported the matter to gardai in Drogheda and feared that the Christmas presents in the case would be lost forever.

But gardai Paul McGough and Jack Bennett found out the bus had only made one stop on the journey from the capital, at Balrothery, and trawled through CCTV from businesses and public sources, quickly identifying two potential suspects.

Armed with a warrant they then searched a property in Balrothery on the same day and found the case and its contents.

One woman has since been arrested and appeared in court on the matter and received bail.

“The suitcase contained around €600 worth of presents and the lady was obviously very upset over it,” said a garda spokesman.

“Luckily some good detective work got a quick result and the property was reunited with its rightful owner. The matter is now before the courts,” he added.

Online Editors