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I grew up in a village in India with most people with very low income but pretty large population around. I almost never heard of a bike theft. I wonder why pla

• xrd 4y ago
  I was reading this article and thinking the same thing. My friend had an expensive electric bike. It got stolen. He's a teacher but his wife is a well paid doctor. He posted somewhere that the bike was stolen. Surprisingly, someone contacted him and told him they found it. It was really strange the way the "finder" offered to return it. They had them meet them in another suburb 30 minutes away. They requested a substantial reward. The whole thing was strange. It makes me think that there are people who live in a grey economy that steal bikes because they aren't hurting someone in the same way that breaking into a house or stealing a car would hurt someone (or worse). Bikes are a luxury good at the high end, and that's what my friend lost. Bike thievery is a gateway to a decent income when you have no other choices. At least that's what it seemed like when my friend had that experience. It seemed like it was a well thought out scam that was done by someone with intelligence and desperation.