The 49-year-old man arrives at the Canberra Airport after being extradited from Queensland. Photo: ACT Policing.
A manhunt took officers to Far North Queensland where they found a wanted man accused of joining a Canberra crime spree involving an armed robbery and a burglary where a 72-year-old woman was tied up.
The 49‑year‑old, who is from the ACT suburb of Taylor, was found in Cooktown and then extradited to the Territory.
He was refused bail when he faced court on the weekend.
An ACT Policing spokesperson said a 72-year-old woman disturbed two people wearing masks inside her home in the southern Canberra suburb of Conder in early December 2025.
The intruders allegedly tied her up and forced her to give them her bank login details before fleeing in her Mazda SUV. Police later recovered the car.
Police also received reports of an armed robbery at a currency exchange business in Dickson, in which several people were alleged to have gone inside and threatened staff with firearms before stealing cash.
The alleged robbers fled in a stolen Nissan Pathfinder, which was later found on fire.
These two incidents were believed to be connected to burglaries in Macquarie and Gordon, as well as an attempted ram raid at a Kingston business around the same time.
Police believed three people were involved in the incidents. One of the suspects, a 24-year-old man, died from a head-on crash after a car chase with police in Canberra in December.
Later that month, ACT Policing publicly announced they were seeking the 49-year-old man.
Following inquiries by ACT Criminal Investigations officers, he was found by the Queensland Police Service in Cooktown late last month.
“The man had a large sum of cash in his possession when arrested and police believe this is the proceeds of the alleged armed robbery in Dickson in December 2025,” a police spokesperson said.
He was extradited to the ACT and faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday (31 January) on numerous charges, including burglary, robbery and forcible confinement.
The man, who is not named at this time, will next appear in court on 24 February.
Police said their inquiries are continuing to identify the third man alleged to be involved in this crime spree.
If you have information about the incidents or the third man, contact Crime Stoppers and quote incident number 8236520.
Original Article published by Albert McKnight on Region Canberra.
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