'It's like a Hollywood movie': high-powered rifle returned after anonymous call

Less than 24 hours later, he had it back thanks to a call from someone claiming they had nothing to do with the apparent theft.

The caller said they were helping a friend.

"They went and collected it and left it there for me," Mr Hall said.

"Thank God they came to their senses and it's OK."

CCTV footage suggests three suspected thieves ran into Mr Hall's home in Epsom, Victoria, on the night of July 14, going into a garage twice a few minutes before being chased off.

The alleged offenders, who Mr Hall believed were adolescent males, first ran into his garage and stole the rifle and ammunition while he and his family were home, at about 9.30pm.

The four occupants of the red sedan drove by the house before doing a U-turn and stopping.

Three exited the vehicle and ran into his garage, allegedly taking Mr Hall's high-powered hunting rifle, with ammunition, from his blue four-wheel-drive.

Vision Mr Hall supplied to ACM's Bendigo Advertiser showed that in just 37 seconds masked figures ran onto the property and left.

One attempted to unsuccessfully open a white car in the driveway before the trio ran offscreen, returning to their car with one holding what appeared to be a rifle.

Mr Hall said the time shown on the camera was incorrect by around 55 minutes. At the time he had been packing for a hunting trip and was making repeated visits to put items in the four-wheel drive.

"I walked back out to the back of my shed out the back, and then it was in that time they'd pulled up," Mr Hall said.

"They went up, did a U-turn, it was about 20 seconds later they came back, doors opened and they just got out and ran in, quick as that."

At the time Mr Hall said he heard noises from the garage, so he checked footage from the security camera through his phone.

"I heard what I thought was arguing, and it's really strange because our street's very quiet," he said.

"I sort of heard a bit of a bang, like someone had hit something.

"I walked inside and, for whatever reason, I just thought I'll just check the security cameras.

"I was flicking through to try to get on the right spot and I saw someone run out of our garage."

He saw the footage of the first visit from the alleged thieves, and upon hearing another noise went to investigate, where two of the suspected offenders had returned to the garage.

According to Mr Hall, he saw one rummaging in the back seat of his four-wheel drive.

"Here he is in my passenger seat going through the car, and I just yelled and then charged him," he said.

A scuffle followed, in which he threw an arm around the alleged offender's neck and attempted to trip him.

"He sort of shrugged it and I rolled and he ran past the car," he said.

"I threw a kick, I hit him in the back leg with a kick and he was still running."

Meanwhile, the other alleged offender ran past them.

Mr Hall said he ran to their car and could have climbed in, but believing they hadn't taken anything, he decided against it.

"I came back to the car, and that's where I saw the gun bag was zipped right open and it was empty," he said.

According to Mr Hall, police had said the offender's vehicle had been discovered torched in Long Gully, Victoria.

The Bendigo Advertiser has contacted police for confirmation and further details on the investigation.

Crime data released earlier this year show youth offending and aggravated burglaries had grown in the region.

A rise in similar incidents in recent months led to the rebirth of Bendigo's only Neighbourhood Watch group in Strathfiedsaye.

Mr Hall said the gun could have been exceptionally dangerous in untrained hands.

"It's been fine-tuned - it's got a light trigger on it," he said.

"Any wrong bump or something and you've got it loaded and your mate's sitting there and it goes off, well, that's it for him."

He believed the offenders made off with around 50 rounds of ammunition.

He said he left the gun unattended for around 10 minutes but had seen it in the car only two minutes before the offenders entered the garage.

"My guns are always locked in," he said.

"I've got an over-the-top safe, up and above what you're meant to have. I go to great lengths to try to avoid all this."

Mr Hall said he was "kicking himself" for leaving the firearm where it was accessible.

"My door was open into the house with my two young kids and a wife," he said.

"What if it was someone different that decided to come in with it?"