What began as a report of a stolen car in Christchurch has taken a bizarre turn, ending with a man behind bars and a cache of weapons and drugs seized by police.

Christchurch Police say they recovered firearms, knives, batons, and hatchets from an allegedly stolen vehicle and have now laid multiple charges against the man who made the report.

The 36-year-old Burwood resident contacted Police around 5:30am on Tuesday, claiming he had been threatened by an armed man who had stolen his Volkswagen.

Officers located him on Chichester Street, where he detailed a complex series of events.

According to the man, the incident began about an hour earlier when he was allegedly forced at gunpoint to drive to several locations, exchange car keys for a BMW, and then use that vehicle to track down his supposedly stolen Volkswagen which he said he eventually found abandoned on Davis Street.

As police tried to piece together the unusual story, they transported the man back to his home to retrieve a spare key for the locked Volkswagen. Once the car was unlocked, officers used powers under the Search and Surveillance Act to check for any firearms that may have been left behind by the alleged offender.

Instead, the man’s version of events quickly began to unravel.

Inside the vehicle, police discovered a methamphetamine pipe, a bag of white crystals, a concealed shotgun, a pistol, ammunition, and an assortment of knives, batons, and hatchets.

The man was arrested at the scene, and the vehicle was seized.

He is now facing a string of serious charges including making a false statement, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawfully carrying an imitation firearm, unlawful possession of a pistol, unlawful possession of ammunition, possession of utensils, possession of an offensive weapon and failing to carry out obligations in relation to a computer search

The man has been remanded in custody and is due to appear in the Christchurch District Court on 12 November.