Mailbox raiders lift $46,500 in cheques

Warren Kyd

Cheques worth more than $46,500 have been stolen from letterboxes in Auckland's eastern suburbs in the past week.

The $310 tax-free dividend cheques from the Auckland Energy Consumer Trust have been mailed to nearly 300,000 electricity customers in Auckland, Manukau and parts of Papakura.

However, some residents living in the eastern suburbs have rushed to the mailbox only to find their payout missing.

On Monday, members of the Auckland City burglary squad found out why - it seems they were being stolen from the letterboxes.

Police spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty said two men were arrested after they were found with more than 100 of the cheques in their possession.

On Wednesday another man tried to cash three altered cheques at the Kiwibank in Mt Roskill, and police yesterday found more stolen cheques in a car belonging to a woman in Avondale.

Ms Hegarty said police had so far found about 150 of the stolen cheques, all of which are believed to have been taken from letterboxes in the eastern suburbs, including Parnell, Epsom, St Heliers and Remuera.

It is not known if they were stolen by individuals or a group working together.

Trust chairman Warren Kyd said the trust had received phone calls from residents wondering what had happened to their cheques.

Those cheques have now been cancelled and resent.

Mr Kyd said the trust had taken steps to try to prevent the cheques being stolen - including issuing them in the customer's name and marking them "not transferable".

However, it appears the moves had not deterred some people.

Mr Kyd said he was aware of 166 cheques being stolen - six of which had been presented to banks around the city.

Ms Hegarty said one of the two men who were arrested on Monday had been charged with burglary.

The second man, a 44-year-old from Ranui, has been jointly charged with a 27-year-old woman on 18 counts of obtaining a document and 10 counts of unlawfully opening mail.

Ms Hegarty said police know the identity of the man who was caught trying to present the altered cheques but are still looking for him.

The woman found with cheques in her car was last night helping police with inquiries.