Police have been left red-faced after embarking on a seven-hour standoff outside a Melton house west of Melbourne, only to discover no-one was inside.
Police said they went to a home on Callanan Drive just after 9:30am after receiving information about a person of interest in a current investigation.
Officers took every precaution and “attempted to call out to anyone inside the house”, a police spokeswoman said.
“After no response from the property the house was entered and cleared about 4.30pm and no occupants were located inside”, she said.
On Monday, police said they had been trying to communicate with a man who was refusing to come out of the house.
The Critical Incident Response Team was also called to the scene.
But police did not come away empty handed — they seized a vehicle and motorbike believed to be stolen.
They declined to comment further as the investigation is ongoing.