Abbotsford Police are asking for the public’s help in trying to identify a suspect who might be connected to the theft of a laptop from a local residence.
On Monday morning, an elderly Abbotsford man returned home to find a side door ajar. The door jamb had been broken, and the man found an “inmate identification card” on the ground.
He quickly left and contacted police. The suspect could not be found on scene, but the man noticed that a laptop was missing from his home.
Const. Ian MacDonald said police began looking for the person named on the inmate card and, although they were unable to find him, they did speak to people connected to him.
Just after 1 p.m., the Abbotsford Police Department (APD) received a call from an electronics store in the 32700 block of South Fraser Way.
An employee there reported that, about 30 minutes prior, a man had come into the store asking to have his computer’s password bypassed.
The employee checked the computer against a sales database and became suspicious.
The customer left the store before the call to police, but was captured on surveillance video.
MacDonald said police do not believe the man in the video is the same person listed on the inmate card.
He said it appears that someone either intentionally dropped the card at the residence in order to “frame” that person, or two people are working together and the card inadvertently fell to the ground during the break-in.
Police are now asking for help to identify the man in the surveillance video. Anyone with information is asked to contact the APD at 604-859-5225 or by text at 222973 (abbypd). They can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
