Suspect arrested after U.S. couple's belongings stolen from B.C. Airbnb

One month after a U.S. couple's belongings were snatched from an Airbnb rental in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, authorities have announced the arrest of a suspect in the theft.

The incident happened on the night of July 3, as Madhuchanda Mandal and her fiancé were unloading their things at a short-term rental in North Vancouver.

Surveillance video Mandal shared on social media shows a man sneaking out the back entrance carrying several bags.

"It was very heartbreaking to be honest," Mandal said. "We almost cancelled our trip and cut it short to come home."

Doing so would have been difficult, however – as the Indiana couple's passports were among the items stolen, along with cash, a laptop, a camera and multiple camera lenses.

On Tuesday, North Vancouver RCMP confirmed that officers arrested a man believed to be responsible for the break-in on July 25.

"We hope this arrest brings the family some type of reassurance that the person responsible will be held accountable," Const. Mansoor Sahak said in a statement.

The suspect has since been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court in October. So far, no charges have been laid.

Mandal said the couple was notified about the arrest on Friday, but told their belongings have not been found.

"I don't have too much hope on recovering the items," she said. "I'm guessing the cash is already spent, and the credit cards are already cancelled."

The couple had only left the back door of their Airbnb unlocked for "a few minutes" when the theft occurred, said Mandal, who also expressed frustration with how authorities responded to the incident.

The victims initially called 911 to report the theft, but were told it was not an emergency situation. According to E-Comm, B.C.’s largest 911 service provider, break-and-enters are considered emergencies “if there is a suspect on scene.”

But Mandala noted they reported the theft minutes after it occurred, and had no idea whether the culprit might return.

“I don’t know if they’re armed, I don’t know if they have a knife or a box-cutter,” Mandal said. “We didn’t feel safe.”

A constable responded that evening but went on vacation the next day, leaving the victims without a point person as they received alerts from their bank that someone was attempting to use their cancelled credit cards at local businesses.

Authorities also did not distribute the surveillance video from the incident. In their news release, North Vancouver RCMP said "several tips" from the public came in after the couple posted the recording on social media.

"It was a very frustrating experience," Mandal said. "It's not bad enough that we wouldn't want to come back to Vancouver – it's a beautiful place – but we'd be more careful."