In the forest at the cottage, cousins Ellinor (6) and Eine (5) found ten-year-old stolen goods from an unsolved theft – overgrown with moss and hidden under a rock.
Less than 20 minutes ago
Ellinor Haugland Kindingstad (6) and her cousin Eine Kindingstad Skogrand (5) were planning to swim in the mud at the cabin Nevøy outside Sauda after a canoe trip on Saturday, when they stumbled upon the remarkable find in the forest.
– They had to help find twigs to light the fire, and only about ten meters away we suddenly stumbled upon these bags, father Geir Arne Solland Kindingstad tells VG.
The local newspaper Ryfylke mentioned the story first.
– I saw straight away that this was something that someone had hidden away on purpose, he continues. The bags were full of moss and leaves, and the family could see that it had been there for a long time.
– Then we opened the first bag, and it was full of medals and trophies. Then the two little ones got really big eyes, says Kindingstad.
– They had found a treasure, almost like in Captain Sabertooth, only without the chest.
Down on the pier, both grandparents and excited cabin neighbors watched the contents of the bags being unpacked. It quickly became apparent what this really was:
– Sauda gymnastics association was written on very many of them, so it was not difficult to find out where they came from, says Kindingstad.
His parents, who also own the cabin, are from Sauda and were able to deliver the trophies and medals back to the association.
– It was an incredible surprise and very nice, because we never thought this would appear again, says chairman of the board Ingrid Herheim Helland of the gymnastics association to VG.
Discovered the theft – the moldings had been broken
The missing trophies and medals have been the talk of the town for ten years – after someone broke in and stole them in 2013. Nobody knows what happened, or where they went.
It was then manager Bodil Sandal, who is still an active gymnast, who discovered the theft. Sandal visited the hall in connection with the start-up after the summer holidays.
– When I came up the stairs to the boardroom, I saw that the entire molding around the door had been broken open. When I entered, I saw that the large section we had full of trophies was completely empty, says Sandal.
– I couldn’t quite understand this, because it said “Sauda turn” on everything, she continues.
The police secured footprints and made inquiries
Sandal contacted the police immediately. Øyvind Dybing, who is the police contact in Sauda and Suldal, remembers well that he responded to the particular theft at the gymnastics group.
– We secured footwear prints, documented with photos, interviewed and secured the break tracks, which showed that it had been broken up. This was investigated more closely in the world of forensics and a lot of work was done to secure traces, says Dybing.
However, the police never managed to solve the case.
– We had no idea who was behind this or where the stolen goods were, says Dybing.
Now he has also found out in the local newspaper that the stolen goods have been handed over to their rightful owners.
– After all, this has an affective value – that was the main problem with the theft. Sauda had a very good tour history, with Sauda tourers out in both the Nordics and Europe. This was used as a decoration in the gymnasium, and then it was gone!
More unanswered questions: – Someone must know something
The then tour leader Sandal also thinks it’s great that the cups and medals are back.
– When I saw it, I was so happy.
Nevertheless, the matter is far from resolved. Sandal is left with several unanswered questions.
– This has not been clarified at all. What happened? Why did it end up there – on an island? Who was behind it? Someone must know something here and we would love to know, says Sandal.
– But the best of all is that it has now come into place in the boardroom at Sauda gymnastics association.
Published: 25/05/23 at 23:04
