In just 20 hours, seven stolen mountain and road bikes were back in their show racks at a local bicycle store, thanks to an incredible team effort.
It’s a happy ending to what could have been a nightmare for Wayne Tarr, owner of Giant South Coast.
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Wayne said some unwelcome after-hours shoppers broke into the shop last Friday at 5.30am.
In one minute and 45 seconds (to be exact) seven bicycles, worth R500 000, were looted from the shop.
“It was a well-orchestrated hit in which they targeted only our top-end stock. A similar modus operandi was used by a gang of three men who hit a bicycle shop in Nelspruit last year,” said Wayne.
Police, joined by Joffre Hannaway and Ant Apostolides and the team from Maser Security were shortly on the scene.
Ant got pictures from the surveillance footage and circulated them on various WhatsApp groups.
Shortly afterwards, an alert civilian spotted the getaway vehicle heading towards Mooi River.
The brazen thieves had stopped for breakfast, and that’s when the cops swooped on them and nabbed two of the four men.
All the stock on the vehicle was recovered.
Wayne did a quick trip of 500km to Mooi River, and brought the bikes safety back to the store by 10pm that same day.
“I’m ecstatic about the recovery of the bikes! I went from losing the best bikes I have in my shop to having them back on the same day,” said Wayne.
He praised the Maser team, and thanked Warrant Officer Abraham Sonnekus from Organised Crime Unit and Pietermaritzberg Highway Patrol Warrant Officer Clinton Kraamwinkel for their help in tracking down the vehicle.
“This story could have gone the other way – but we had a bit of luck on our side. But it is a fantastic feeling to have recovered the bikes. This story highlights the importance of networking and how effective WhatsApp groups can be, by having the right people on those groups,” said Ant.
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