Constable Darrin Healy, of Dunedin, said a Christchurch man in his early 20s reported having his black backpack stolen by two Pakeha men of a similar age.
The Christchurch man was visiting Dunedin, interested in attending university, and was walking in Manor Pl. The two other men ''befriended'' him and they stopped to chat, Const Healy said.
''When the Christchurch man put his backpack down on the ground, one of the other guys picked it up and they both ran off down Melville St towards Princes St,'' he said.
The backpack did not contain anything valuable, other than some medication, Const Healy said. He was following ''a few leads'' in the investigation.
''A few people around the corner may have witnessed the guys running off. It was just an opportunist thing,'' he said.
