A 15-year-old Brampton has been accused of stealing several cellphones after meeting with people wanting to sell their devices.
Peel Regional Police reported officers received a series of complaints about thefts during the last two months, in which victims said they were ripped off by a bogus buyer they met with.
The suspect allegedly used Facebook Marketplace and the alias “David Paul” to meet the victims, according to police.
During meet-ups, a thief asked to inspect a seller’s phone and ran away with it, said police. In at least one case, the thief allegedly pulled out a knife to steal a phone.
None of the victims were hurt.
Police said a suspect was arrested last Saturday after a seller detained an alleged thief who tried to steal a phone.
A 15-year-old youth was charged with utter threats to damage property, six counts of theft under $5,000, robbery, fraudulently obtaining transportation, and assault.
Police alleged the suspect sometimes acted with accomplices who remain at large.