crime

Man arrested for stealing high-end bike to sell on online auction

17 Comments

Police in Tokyo have arrested a 53-year-old man on suspicion of stealing a 250,000 yen bike parked near JR Ikebukuro Station in March 2015, and then selling it on an online auction site.

According to police, Tsutomu Maeda allegedly replaced some parts of the bike before the auction so it would not be identified as a stolen one. However, the bike owner remembered a characteristic scratch on the frame of his bike, which led him to spot it on the bike being auctioned online and report to the police, Fuji TV reported.

Police said that Maeda has admitted to the charge and quoted him as saying, “I stole the bike and sold it on the online auction because I wanted money.”

Police suspect that Maeda had been repeatedly stealing expensive bikes to sell on online auctions.

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17 Comments
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One value of online auctions is that they create a paper trail. Had this gone to a second-hand dealer, it could have gone in and out and been bought and sold for cash.

Online auctions will get a much higher price for specialist gear than second-hand dealers, so it must be tempting for thieves to use them. I recently bought a 140,000 yen new road bike for 60,000 on Yahoo Auctions from an established chain of second hand bike shops. I would imagine the original owner must have got under 40,000 yen for it. When I picked it up, it was in a shop with sold written on a 95,000 yen price tag.

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Mid range, not high end!

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This guy is sharp as a marble....

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Stupid is, as stupid does....

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Really the police should of pick it up. It the first thing a cops should do in check online sale. I so simple you just google the bike type. You could even do a in-depth search. And it not the first time he did this. forking out money for parts yea!

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Thank God for my old beater.

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bike theft is so prevalent and then some posters complain when satsu stop and question them about it.

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Argus, good point. Maybe the buyer didn't know the bike was stolen. However, "caveat emptor" covers this: any purchase should include proof that the seller is the legitimate owner. If he mislaid a receipt the police will provide a copy of the original registration (the best proof). The police check the serial number and registration tag from time to time on the street. Actually, if you travel around Japan by bicycle as I do, it becomes a great ice breaker at rural Kobans: "Fukuya??? Saitama-ken??? You're a long way from home! I went to high school in Kumagaya!" They get pretty excited at times. Great fun.

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@Bill Murphy

Stolen property sales might take a dip.

What if the buyer doesn't know it's stolen property ?

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Find the people who bought them and seize the stolen property. "Caveat emptor". Stolen property sales might take a dip.

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He deserves some jail time.. selling just a few high end bicycles can quickly add up to a price of a car. The police should check his internet sales and see if there are any other stolen bicycles

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Most people sell things because they want money.

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Hmmm... Jail him or put him to work (because he "needs" money) repairing abandoned bicycles for shipment to other countries? No, he'd skip out at the first opportunity. He's probably a "minimalist" meaning minimal work for maximum return (not a few of us... errrr... them around). Maybe bringing back public stocks would be a deterrent. No, that would be humiliating and degrading and never lead to "reformation" of character.

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"because I wanted money."

POS CRIMINAL....everybody needs money.

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"Maeda had been repeatedly stealing expensive bikes to sell on online auctions. "

ol sick fart, I see his type loitering, and scheming around department stores, train stations, and parks, but the j-flops dont check them. But other than jn they will.check invariably.

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What do you mean by razor blades hidden in the seat? How would that work? Bike thieves deserve the worst treatment that comes their way though.

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Still looking for mine, which was stolen for order. Bike shop owner told me thieves watch your bike parking and take a photo. They then put it online, and if there is buyer, they "release it" for sale. Thinking about razor blades hidden in the seat, but friends tell me it is illegal. Miss my bike...

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