A Leesburg man was arrested for fraud after his suspicious actions were caught on Walmart’s CCTV system. The incident occurred around 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the Walmart located at 2501 Citrus Blvd. According to the arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department, Besham Roopnarine, a 29-year-old employee at the time, was caught processing refunds for items he never returned.
The suspicious activity was first noticed by a fellow employee who reviewed the store’s CCTV and Electronic Journal. Roopnarine was seen assisting a customer with a transaction at the self-checkout station, during which he pocketed a receipt. Later, he processed a refund for the transaction, which amounted to $88.00, and directed the refunded amount to his personal bank card without returning the purchased items.
Roopnarine continued the scheme with two more fraudulent refund transactions that evening. One refund for a toddler toy and stuffed animal unicorn, totaling $37.41, and another for a Fitrx massage gun and another item worth $28.78, both of which were also refunded to his bank card without returning the goods.
When confronted by police, Roopnarine admitted to pocketing the money, citing financial difficulties. He explained that he wanted to get more money after helping a customer and, for the later transactions, claimed he had kept the items and simply refunded the money to his card.
Roopnarine was arrested and charged with three counts of fraud (petit theft – less than $750). He was taken to Lake County Jail and released after posting a $1,500 bond.