Gardaí and victim combine to catch suspect in Dublin bicycle thefts

A man suspected of involvement bicycle thefts has been arrested and 16 bicycles seized after gardaí and a woman whose bicycle was stolen combined to recover it in Crumlin, Dublin.

After the woman’s bicycle was stolen she saw it for sale on a marketplace website and alerted gardaí. She posed as a potential buyer and arranged to meet the man selling it. But unbeknown to the seller the woman was accompanied to the meeting by gardaí.

The vendor, a man in his 50s, turned up with the woman’s stolen bicycle. After the victim was able to identify it as her property, he was arrested under Operation Soteria.

As part of the arrest operation – at about 5.30pm in Crumlin on Tuesday – 16 bicycles, which gardaí suspect were stolen, have been seized.

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“The operation involved a planned arrangement to meet a seller of a stolen pedal cycle, which was placed for sale on a selling site,” said gardaí . “The man attended the scene with the stolen pedal cycle . . . and was arrested.”

Follow-up search

The suspect was taken to Crumlin Garda station when he was detained for questioning under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

The 15 other bicycles seized were found in a follow-up search at a property linked to the suspect. The bicycles have been valued by gardaí at about €7,000. An angle grinder power tool was also confiscated.

“The man has since been charged in relation to the seizure and gardaí at Crumlin will endeavour to identify the rightful owners of the pedal cycles in due course. The items that are not returned to owners will be circulated via media in the coming weeks,” said gardaí.