Vancouver police were able to arrest an alleged thief and return some stolen tools this week after the owner noticed they were being sold on Craigslist.

The tools, valued at $1,000, were stolen from the victim’s vehicle in East Vancouver sometime between 11 p.m. on Aug. 13 and 8 a.m. on Aug. 14. He subsequently noticed his tools for sale on Craigslist and contacted police.

article continues below

Officers posed as potential buyers to arrange to meet the alleged thief, who showed up with the stolen goods and was arrested by plain-clothes officers.

The 39-year-old man is now facing charges of possession of stolen property, possession of break-in instruments and carrying a concealed weapon.

“The owner of the stolen property in this case had taken the time to write on his property which made it possible to identify the stolen goods and return them,” said media relations officer Sgt. Jason Robillard. “Theft from auto continues to be a problem in Vancouver and we want to remind everyone that if anything is left visible in a parked vehicle, it could be enough to tempt a thief.”