A MAN wanted for child rape in the US has been tracked down and arrested on the Gold Coast after being “Googled” by his boss.

Serial con man Lucas Aguiar, 29, somehow snuck into Australia after fleeing “several counts of rape of a child” in Massachusetts in 2009 before landing a job as a part-time mechanic at ­Southport.

In an extraordinary turn of events, the international fugitive, who had avoided detection for more than five years, was discovered by a simple Google search.

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media_camera Tim Mann from Ferry Road Detailing has helped with the arrest of a man wanted in the United States. Picture: David Clark

Aguiar’s employer, Tim Mann, of Ferry Road Detailing, said he got the shock of his life when he found a photo of the fugitive on official US police website Massachusetts Most Wanted.

The website detailed Aguiar’s extensive rap sheet, which included alleged child sex crimes, assault and drug ­offences.

Aguiar is charged with seven counts of statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl.

He was 24 at the time.

“He didn’t rock up to work so I went to his house and all his stuff was gone,” Mr Mann said.

“It was really suspicious, so I Googled his name and it said that he was wanted in Massachusetts for multiple counts of child rape.”

media_camera Tim Mann said he became suspicious of wanted US man Lucas Aguiar when he did not turn up for work. A Google search showed the man on official US police website Massachusetts Most Wanted. Picture: David Clark

Chief Superintendent Des Lacy said police arrested Aguiar on New Year’s Eve for possession of ecstasy before releasing him with a court date on January 13.

He said detectives were later tipped off about Aguiar’s past by Mr Mann and promptly raided his Queen St, Southport address early on Monday morning.

Authorities soon discovered Aguiar was an “unlawful citizen” known by five different aliases.

Police are unsure how he was able to enter the country and the Department of Immigration has declined to comment.

Mr Mann said he tracked down Aguiar’s car in Southport before calling Gold Coast detectives.

“He was supposed to check in with police for the drug charges but he never turned up,” Mr Mann said.

“I remembered he had been talking about living across the road from the Southport fire station so I went looking for him and I saw his old car on the side of the road.

“I called police and they came and arrested him ­immediately.”

Chief Supt Lacy said Mr Mann’s actions helped police make a quick and “impressive” bust.

“Lucas Aguiar was picked up on January 5 at the early hours of the morning after the man’s employees tipped off detectives,” he said.

“It appears the suspect was found to be an unlawful citizen originally from Brazil,” he said.

“A request was made by the Department of ­Immigration to hold him in custody.

“The Americans can seek to extradite him if they wish and he will not be deported to Brazil if there is an extradition notice.”

Aguiar is being held in custody at the Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation Centre next to Brisbane Airport.

A Massachusetts State Police spokeswoman said that it might be “too ­expensive” to extradite Aguiar back to the US.

“We would extradite him if he was in another state but Australia is halfway around the world,” she said.

“I’m just shocked he ­managed to get there in the first place.”

If American authorities do not file an extradition notice Aguiar is likely to escape American charges and be deported to Brazil.

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