Two people have been arrested and one person reported following an investigation into a series of fraudulent tool purchases.
Police will allege that between 3 September and 1 October, 17 purchase orders were place at several hardware stores for power tools and other merchandise on behalf of a company. Checks with the company revealed the purchase orders, totalling more than $20,000, were fraudulent and unauthorised.
Following investigations, police identified two main suspects.
On 20 October, Operation Measure officers searched a Salisbury North address. During the search, police allegedly located and seized 26 items, including power tools, a mobile phone, a machete and CCTV equipment.
A 36-year-old Salisbury North man was arrested and charged with seven counts of theft, seven counts of deception and two counts of attempted deception.
Yesterday, 24 October, a 30-year-old Salisbury North man was arrested and charged with two counts of theft, two counts of deception and one count of attempted deception.
Both men were bailed to appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court on 26 and 30 November.
Further inquiries resulted in a 31-year-old Kidman Park woman being reported for theft and deception on 22 October. She will be summonsed to appear in court at a later date.
Investigations are ongoing to identify and locate other suspects.
Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at www.crimestopperssa.com.au or on 1800 333 000.
SAPOL's Operation Measure, established in March 2022, works closely with Crime Stoppers, retailers, loss prevention managers, security personnel and operations managers to identify and apprehend people responsible for repeat retail theft and violence against retail workers.
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