When a local college student had his Trek bike stolen from the Boston Common late last month, he probably figured he’d never see it again. But on a hunch, he scrolled through the used bike listings on Craigslist, and there it was, picture and all.

The nerve.

Eager to turn the tables, the student contacted Boston police, who had a detective pose as a prospective buyer and meet the person attempting to sell the bike at Boston Common on a recent Friday. Police promptly arrested the man on larceny charges, even though the bike he was trying to sell turned out not to belong to the student, who police said did not want to be interviewed.

For cyclists who say bike thieves are rarely caught, the arrest was gratifying.

“I’ve heard of it once or twice, maybe,’’ said Pete Stidman, director of the Boston Cyclists Union. “That’s awesome. Nothing like the stupidity of a thief to help you out.’’

Nicole Freedman, Boston’s director of bicycle programs, was delighted by the arrest.

“That’s fantastic,’’ she said. “It’s very unusual to get them back.’’

Freedman said the city is encouraging people to register their bikes to make it easier to recover them if they are stolen, and that some 600 have done so in the past year and a half.

In addition to trying to sell a stolen bike, police said the 30-year-old suspect — Matthew Berry of Somerville — was carrying a pair of bolt cutters in his messenger bag, along with some pliers and Allen wrenches.

Police believe Berry may be responsible for more than 20 bike thefts in recent weeks and had used the extensive bicycle listings on Craigslist to unload them.

“He’s been doing it for a couple of years,’’ said Sergeant Detective Michael Talbot, who helped lead the investigation.