It’s a deal: Fugitive promises to turn himself in if ‘Wanted’ poster gets 15,000 likes

Dubai: There is no such thing as bad publicity. That appears to be the mantra of a wanted fugitive in Connecticut, US, who was willing to turn himself in if his ‘Wanted’ poster received 15,000 likes.

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In the odd deal, cut by Connecticut’s City of Torrington Police Department, the fugitive, 29-year-old Jose Simms, contacted the police through Facebook and made the offer.

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His initial demand? 20,000 likes. “I said 10,000, he wanted 20,000. We split,” a lieutenant from the department wrote in the Facebook post.

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He then urged people to like and share the post, or if they knew the whereabouts of Simms, just to let them know to end the suspense.

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Simms has seven warrants out against him after failing to appear in court on a range of charges including the risk of injury to a child, according to media reports.

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The Facebook post, which went up on May 22, has so far received 24,000 likes and 26,000 reactions overall. There is still no sign of Simms.

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When contacted by reporters through Facebook, the fugitive said that he intended to honour his commitment, calling himself a “man of his word”, according to a report by The Telegraph.

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“I wanted to give them a little incentive for all the hard work they put in to catch me … looking over your shoulder every five seconds can cause a lot of stress,” the report quoted him as saying.

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While many Facebook users loved the humourous approach adopted by the police department, others found the deal unethical.

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Facebook user Jamie Rose Warner wrote: “The fact that you quoted [television show] The Office had me ‘liking’ this post before I even finished it. It’s wonderful knowing Torrington’s police have a great sense of humor!”

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Another user, Patricia Giusti Chipko, added: “I love the sense of humor from the Torrington Police Department! Praying that one way or another you meet your objective soon!”

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Facebook user Sean Sullivan asked: “Will the surrender be Facebook lived?” to which the police department responded: “No…we have to draw the line somewhere :)”

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Other users were less amused. Gina Natalie Manning wrote: “I cannot believe we are helping a criminal get attention, fame, and notoriety for bad behavior. This is [crazy].”

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Another Facebook user Terrie Jacklin commented: “City of Torrington Police Department you seriously negotiate with criminals for likes on Facebook? I can’t possibly be this gullible to believe this is not a joke. So I will leave this alone. And NO I am NOT liking it.”