Unit 4 at the Pleasant View Motel in Summerland is boarded up and a sign reads “do not occupy” on the front door.
An unattended stove top caused a structure fire there, shortly after midnight on Wednesday.
The fire forced the female tenant and her three guests out of the suite alongside residents of neighbouring units.
The fire unveiled a large quantity of stolen property inside.
RCMP were contacted and police executed a search warrant later that afternoon.
Police removed and seized “several items ranging from bicycles, tools, typical stolen property that we come across,” said RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Dan Moskaluk.
“She had a lot of visitors coming and going so we kind of figured that there might be something going on there,” Franchuk added.
Walter Wong, the motel’s part-owner, said he wasn’t aware of the nefarious activities going on in the area.
“We cannot tell because how, the landlord, he can’t go in and say is this yours, are you stealing? How can we know? Police say you’re supposed to know, I said we cannot,” Wong said on Friday.
Property theft is on the rise in the south Okanagan.
The latest available data shows property crime increased by 10 per cent from July to September 2017, compared to the same period in 2016.
The region also saw a 35 per cent increase of break and enter to outbuildings and a 19 per cent increase in auto theft.
The detachment recently created a Community Support and Enforcement Team to deal with prolific social issues and a mental health liaison officer will start soon.
“Targeting prolific offenders is one of our main priorities and the most success that we have because we are aware that a lot of these offences are committed by a very small percentage of individuals,” Moskaluk said.
RCMP said no arrests have been made in relation to the Summerland motel property theft operation and no charges have been recommended at this time.
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