vindicator calls for taking of an item to try to get a criminal to justice, then yes, their item is taken.
I could only do this through word of the vindicator, hence why it was done, and should have been done.

The criminal, if he/she had showed and died (or likely as a well protected invoker fighting at an inner guardian would have fought us off) the item would not have been taken.

It is not a situation of thumbs down, its what was supposed to happen given the situation.