Bikes stolen on the streets of Chiswick for sale in Moscow
From The Chiswick Calendar:wo expensive bikes, stolen from a bike shed in Chiswick, have turned up for sale in Moscow.The thieves stole the bikes during the night, cutting through the metal hasps used to attach the lid to the locks on the base, so the heavy duty locks themselves were not touched. A few doors down, a neighbour had their bike shed broken into in the same way a few nights later.The owner, who The Chiswick Calendar has spoken to, but prefers to remain anonymous, could see from Apple AirTag trackers that the bikes were in another part of London at 4am, but there were no subsequent registrations. AirTags do not work if they are placed inside a metal frame, so they were on the outside of the bikes, and if you knew what to look for they would have been easy enough to find.“Police were notified and I received a crime reference number however no visit from the police themselves and the case was subsequently closed.”He put pictures of the bikes out on social media and a month later received a reply with some photographs and a link to a Russian website with one of the bikes on sale. The notice read:‘Located in the Republic of Belarus, delivery to Moscow, from one to several days, with payment of receipt … can be sent to other cities.’“It is 100% my bike. It isn’t an off-the-shelf model but a custom build where you can select the components from a range plus supply some of your own, so there won’t be any other bike the same… My other bike is on the same website, you can see the prices listed in roubles.“I think the person replying to the tweet may just be an ordinary person in Russia. They may have just come across the tweet saying it was stolen and replied.”This may be just one example of widespread theft of expensive cycles by organised crime in London. The Standard reported earlier this year on moped gangs targeting cyclists while they were actually riding, and forcing them off their bikes to take them.According to the report, victims have often been targeted near Regent’s Park between 5am and 7am, before cars are allowed into the park. One cyclist targeted reported two thieves looking over his bike and one saying to the other “it’s on the list”, suggesting they are being stolen to order.Analysis from the Clean Cities Campaign last November suggested that on average 20,000 bikes are reported stolen every year across London, over 50 every day.
Les Wilson ● 258d10 Comments