A twist of fate put the victim of a break-and-enter in the same business as two men as they tried to sell her stolen Italian gold jewelry, RCMP said Friday.

Staff Sgt. Grant Learned said the woman took it upon herself to canvass city pawn and jewelry shops in hope of finding her stuff.

She was in the Kamloops Gold & Silver Exchange on Victoria Street and noticed the items two men were selling was hers.

“She said, ‘That’s my property,’” Learned said.

The men fled the store before RCMP arrived. One suspect was arrested a short time later at The Cash Store on Tranquille Road. He was trying to cash a cheque he’d been given at the gold and silver exchange.

A large amount of the jewelry taken from the home on Fernie Road has been recovered, he said.

Police attended the house in the city’s West End shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday when the women returned home to find the place ransacked.

The culprit or culprits broke in through a side garage door and systematically went through all the rooms in the house, shuffling through cupboards, drawers and closets in an effort to find valuables, said Learned.

Investigators took crime scene photos and canvassed the neighbourhood in hope of identifying a suspect. Learned said a forensic team returned to the home Friday morning to dig up further clues. Police also checked with pawn and jewelry shop owners. 

A 24-year-old Lillooet man faces a charge of possession of stolen property. Learned said other charges are potentially pending.

A second suspect remains at large. Anyone with information is asked to phone RCMP at 250-828-3000 or Crime Stoppers.