Roughly 10 minutes ago I was playing, and I noticed a few messages listing items that were removed from my inventory for seemingly no reason when the Jarl or Riften walked near me. After crouching and checking her inventory, she had the items that were just removed from my inventory.

I have the perk to steal weapons, so I robbed her of everything I could and went to drop her weapon on the ground as if to tell her she's trash by comparison to me, and then the guard got all angryface so I reloaded a save. I didn't have a chance to check if stealing my own items back would give them the 'Stolen' tag, but I'm pretty sure it did.

I looked around on Google and couldn't find anything about this, so I decided to make a topic in hopes that someone on here might have some information.

Nothing I've heard of, I know they'll take items from your house, but directly from you? only when they find out you pickpocketed they take the things back. I've never heard of them on thie ron volition taking things from the player.

NPCs can take stolen items from you. All of them.

Taht is why I check my house EVERY time I complete something. Whether it is simply sellign off my gear. I spend a few hours a day in my houses I'd wager

You think that's bad? I went into my house in Riften and their was a thief in the cellar so I happily slit his throat but when I looked in his inventory I noticed he had a [censored] ton of my gear.

I am never getting a house in riften.

Wow. I read that maybe half an hour after buying the house in Riften? Karma getting back at me for killing all of those guards for no reason...