Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the alleged theft of an elderly man’s bank card and pension money, following a widely shared social media post that sparked public outrage.
The suspect was arrested after police investigations led to the recovery of items allegedly belonging to the victim, which were found in his possession.
He is currently being held in custody at the Totogo Police Station as investigations continue.
Police say witness statements have also been obtained as part of the inquiry.
The case came to light after a concerned member of the public shared a detailed account on social media, describing how she noticed the elderly man sitting alone with his crutches beside a Westpac ATM in Suva earlier today.
According to the post by Veniana Devu, the man appeared anxious and repeatedly checked his watch, prompting her to approach and ask if he needed assistance.
Devu says the elderly man reportedly explained that he had given his ATM card to a man to withdraw money on his behalf and was waiting for him to return.
After the individual failed to reappear, concerns grew.
She says a woman and her children also stopped to assist, informing those present that the man had earlier returned briefly, handed the elderly gentleman $20, and claimed it was the only money left in his account.
Suspicions deepened when attempts were made to check the account balance, only to discover that the ATM card in the elderly man’s possession did not belong to him.
It was later realised that the suspect had allegedly swapped the card, making off with the victim’s pension funds.
Police were immediately notified and responded to the scene, taking over the matter and launching an investigation that led to the arrest.
