Lillian Riolo was flabbergasted when she received a Facebook message that stolen passports belonging to her and her children had turned up at a small chapel perched on the tip of Aħrax Point, limits of Mellieħa.

The three passports were among thousands of euros’ worth of valuables stolen from the Riolo family home in July.

This newspaper had reported burglars had broken into their Mosta home in broad daylight and made off with a 1.5-metre-long safe containing four guns – two revolvers and two pistols – which Ms Riolo’s husband Mario collected and also used for target shooting practice.

Among the valuables stolen were sentimental pieces, including jewellery belonging to Ms Riolo and her husband, Mario, as well as birthday, Holy Communion and Confirmation gifts received by their three children.

At the time, Ms Riolo had lamented the fact that no witness had come forward with information on the burglars, despite the fact that it must have taken at least two people to carry the heavy safe out of the house.

Recently, Ms Riolo received a Facebook message from an acquaintance who looked after the Immaculate Conception Chapel at Aħrax Point.

He had stumbled upon the passports lying at the foot of gate.

Thinking they were put there as a votive offering, he placed them at the altar, before deciding to contact Ms Riolo to make sure that she was the one who had placed them there.

“When I read the message, I couldn’t believe it,” she said.

“The next morning, we made our way to Aħrax.

“I thought that if the passports were found there, perhaps some of the other stolen items would also turn up somewhere in the vicinity.”

The chapel was open when Ms Riolo arrived and some people were praying.

“I walked up to the altar, apologising for intruding but also letting them know that I needed to collect my belongings. It was all so bizarre,” she laughed.

Heart pounding, she edged towards the tip of the cliff and scanned the surrounding area.

At the foot of the cliff, a drop of some five storeys below, she spotted the rusting safe.

It took Ms Riolo, her husband and her son a full hour to slowly make their way down to it, where they found the safe had been burst open and their valuables taken out of a hole driven through it with a chaser.

After combing the surroundings, the family managed to locate some pieces that the robbers had not deemed tobe worth anything and had disposed of along with the safe.

Among the items retrieved were a bracelet, a jewellery box, an earring which was part of a set worn by Ms Riolo on her wedding day and a watch she had received from her mother when she was a 16-year-old.

“My guess is that the passports were taken to the chapel after they were stumbled upon by some fishermen or tourists exploring the area.

“The items found were buried beneath piles of debris, so they must have been there for quite a while. They were all quite damaged – except for the jewellery box.

“At least, I feel I have got something out of it.

“I feel as if I am slowly getting closer to the robbers.”

The police are conducting investigations, having interrogated a suspect.