Police said the suspect tried to steal an electronic item after arranging a transaction with a seller through social media
Stock photo
An 18-year-old was arrested at the weekend after attempting to stealing an item during an online buyer exchange on South Road in Paget.
The Bermuda Police Service said the suspect has since been charged with the crime and warns others selling items online to beware.
According to police, the victim had arranged to meet with a prospective buyer who had responded to an online advertisement to sell an electronic item through social media.
However, around 2pm Saturday when the pair met near the junction of the Railway Trail and South Road in Paget – the buyer tried to snatch the electronic item.
Police said a struggle ensued and the 18-year-old suspect fled the area without the item on a motorcycle.
An eyewitness offered a description of the suspect, and he was later located by officers at a parking lot near Collector’s Hill in Smith’s.
Once approached and informed he would be arrested under suspicion of attempted theft, the suspect resisted officers and he was detained for assaulting a police officer.
The suspect appeared in Magistrates Court this week and a trial date for the matter was set down.
Police, in a news statement today urged residents to remain vigilant when making these kinds of sales transactions through the internet.
A spokesperson added, “Police believe this arrest may assist with their ongoing investigations into a recent spate of incidents in which individuals selling items advertised on social media, had the items stolen when meeting “buyers.”
