Woman steals bike back from thief
A woman has revealed how she turned the tables on thieves to get her stolen bike back – with her daring sting quickly spreading online.
Kayla Smith, a 33-year-old bartender from Vancouver, was left fuming after she had her $1000 bike stolen – less than five months after buying it, reports the Globe and Mail.
Visiting a friend, she left it outside secured with a heavy duty lock but when she left, found it had been stolen and duly filed a police report.
The next day, Ms Smith was contacted by another friend who told her a very similar bike had appeared on classified ad site Craigslist for $300.
Ms Smith arranged a meeting with the seller and when she identified the bike as hers, because of the customized brakes and stickers, took it for a short test ride – only to sprint away from the alleged thief.
“I called the guy up, totally played super sweet, was like, ‘Hi, how are you? You know, I have the day off today, why don’t I come meet you?’,” she told the Globe and Mail.
“He was standing there dumbstruck.”
Ms Smith told CBC News the alleged thief claimed to have bought it from his housemate.
On social media she wrote: “My heart was pounding and I had no idea what to do so I just got on the bike and was like f**k this guy and started to ride.”
However, police warned others against following her lead – as it can be dangerous and it is far more difficult to make an arrest if the alleged thief is no longer in charge of the stolen goods.
