Women try to sell phone; buyers turn out to be robbers

Police are investigating a robbery that occurred in the 2800 block of South Roosevelt at 8:45 p.m. Wednesday. That’s southeast of Pawnee and Hillside.

Officer Paul Cruz with the Wichita Police Department said two women had made arrangements via social media to sell a cellphone. When they arrived at the location, they were met by two men, one of whom had a gun. The men took the phone, then demanded money from the women and escorted them to their car to retrieve it. Once they were in the vehicle, the women were able to drive away to safety. Police say one robber tried to hang on to the car but was not successful.

Police were not able to locate the men. Anyone with information is encouraged to call detectives at 316-268-4407 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

Cruz said if anyone is looking for a safe location to sell something, police stations are always available to the public.

“If you have an item that you want to sell, that you would like to exchange, whichever might be the transaction … you are more than welcome to use our substations as a location for point of contact,” he said. “There are always officers on scene; it’s a well-lit location.”

This story was originally published December 22, 2016 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Women try to sell phone; buyers turn out to be robbers."