Four people have been arrested after a series of search warrants was executed in various suburbs of Tauranga.
The warrants executed in Greerton, Pyes Pa, Welcome Bay, Pāpāmoa, Bethlehem and Athentree were related to a series of thefts from cars in the past several weeks in the Western Bay of Plenty, police said in a statement.
The people responsible would allegedly steal valuable items and wallets and use bank cards fraudulently to purchase thousands of dollars' worth of goods with Paywave.
The four were due to appear in Tauranga District Court on charges relating to theft and fraud over the coming days.