Mounties are looking for a 38-year-old man with ties to Vancouver whom police called a 'habitual property offender active between British Columbia and Alberta.'

Rajneel Prasad, who is at large has thus far been charged with 19 offences, including eight counts of Theft Over $5,000, eight counts of Impersonation, and three counts of Obliterating a VIN on a motor vehicle. However, police underlined upwards up 38 charges may be laid against the man.

saMounties are looking for a 38-year-old man with ties to Vancouver whom police called a 'habitual property offender active between British Columbia and Alberta.' (Photo provided by Strathmore RCMP)

The investigation began when in mid-September a Rocky View County business owner contacted them when they suspected an individual had stored stolen property in their rental units.

"Search warrants were executed which resulted in the recovery of four skid steers and a stolen F-350 pickup truck. Affected businesses between Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, and Airdrie were identified all of whom had been the victim of fraudulently rented heavy equipment, some of which remained unrecovered," Mounties said.

With the help of the affected businesses, investigators were able to track more equipment to a job site in Langley, British Columbia. Another search warrant was obtained and with the assistance of Langley RCMP, two more mini excavators and a skid steer were recovered.

"The investigation revealed the theft of this equipment was part of a larger organized theft scheme perpetrated by a habitual property offender active between BC and Alberta. The pattern of theft involved the use of stolen identities with fraudulently obtained credit to rent equipment from area dealers."

In this series, the suspect attended the businesses in a black F-350 pickup truck with a trailer or would attempt to rent a trailer at the time of pickup.

"After the fraudulent rental, the VINs [Vehicle Identification Numbers] would be damaged or removed, and installed tracking devices were removed. Some of the equipment was stored awaiting sale while some had already been sold elsewhere as evidenced by the recovery of stolen property in Langley BC.

10 skid steers and two mini excavators were stolen with a total estimated value of $837,231. Of these thefts, five skid steers and two mini excavators were recovered valuing an estimated $577,105. 

Detachment Commander of the Strathmore RCMP, Sergeant Mark Wielgosz, underlined the importance of how reporting suspicious activity can lead to the recovery of stolen items. 

If you have any information about this matter, the whereabouts of Rajneel Prasad, or any other offences, you are asked to contact the Strathmore RCMP at 403-934-3968 or your local police. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.P3Tips.com.

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