Woman Successfully Tracks Down Thief Who Stole Laptop and Attempted Blackmail
18th January 2024A woman, identified as Jane, managed to track down the thief who stole her laptop at a US airport after he attempted to blackmail her. Jane, who was traveling via Dulles International Airport in Virginia, reported the theft to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which identified the thief as an employee of Smarte Carte, a company providing luggage carts at the airport.
Despite the identification, the police couldn’t immediately arrest the suspect, allowing him to continue working for more than a month while the investigation progressed. Jane’s situation took a turn when she received a message containing a nude photo of herself from an anonymous Instagram account. Recognizing it as part of an art project stored on her stolen laptop, she contacted the MWAA investigator.
Encouraged by the investigator, Jane engaged with the Instagram user, who demanded more photos and $3,000. Focused on retrieving her computer, Jane used an online search tool to uncover the blackmailer’s IP address and GPS coordinates, leading to Springfield, Virginia. With this information, the police conducted surveillance and obtained a search warrant, resulting in the suspect’s arrest.
While Jane was reunited with her laptop, its contents had been erased. She pursued legal action in small claims court, eventually settling the case. The suspect pleaded guilty to petit larceny and received 12 months of probation, leading to the termination of his employment with Smarte Carte after airport authorities suspended his security badge.
