LANGFORD - West Shore RCMP have arrested a man for a series of fraud and theft cases that span across Vancouver Island.
The suspect, Tomas Szalay, 43, was first accused of stealing two cellphones and a wallet from inside a vehicle parked at Sombrio Beach near Port Renfrew on Nov. 4. Investigators then identified Szalay through surveillance footage as a chronic offender who was seen conducting multiple cases of fraud that reached nearly $300 each.
The instances of fraud include the use of credit and debit cards stolen from the wallet left inside the Sombrio Beach vehicle in a store near Duncan.
On Nov. 4, police located Szalay in Langford and arrested him. He is now facing a number of charges, including one count of theft, two counts of fraud three counts of possession of stolen property.
"Tracking down a suspect who is traveling from jurisdiction to jurisdiction committing crime is a challenging task," said Cpl. Fred Ritchie of the West Shore RCMP in a news release.
"Our Crime Reduction Unit not only located the suspect within days of the offence, but also gathered individual pieces of evidence regarding fraud at various locations outside of the West Shore. This is a testament to the skill and dedication of the unit."
