ZAC Mbao: He lured his victims with fake advertisements before disappearing with their scooters.

An individual was arrested by officers from the ZAC Mbao district police station for alleged fraud and theft of two-wheeled vehicles.

The case began on September 1st, after the owner of a scooter filed a complaint against an unknown person. He had posted an online advertisement to sell his Yamaha X-Max for 900,000 CFA francs. He was quickly contacted by a supposed buyer who expressed interest in the scooter. A meeting was then arranged at the Mbao ZAC roundabout around 4 p.m.

At the scene, the suspect reportedly asked to test drive the scooter before making the purchase. But as soon as he had the keys in his hands, he vanished.

Police technical investigations led to the suspect's location and arrest at the SEDIMA roundabout. Further investigation revealed that the suspect was also the subject of two other complaints involving a similar modus operandi.

The second victim, contacted by investigators, went to the police station where she formally identified the suspect during a confrontation. She explained that she had posted an advertisement to sell her Beverly brand scooter. She was reportedly contacted by the same individual, who allegedly used the pretext of a test drive to make off with the scooter.

A third victim then voluntarily went to the police station. She reported similar events that occurred around noon on September 19th in front of the Auchan store in Grand Mbao. Her Beverly scooter was also allegedly stolen after a test drive.

During his police interview, the suspect admitted only to stealing the first complainant's motorcycle. He stated that he had resold the Yamaha X-Max for 500,000 CFA francs to an individual he met in Keur Massar.

During his arrest, police also discovered 1,455,100 CFA francs on the suspect. When questioned about the origin of the money, the suspect claimed it came from the sale of vehicles, without providing any supporting documentation. The sum was seized and impounded for the purposes of the ongoing investigation.

The investigation continues to recover the stolen scooters, identify any potential receivers of stolen goods, determine the exact origin of the seized funds and check if other victims might come forward.