In a tale that exemplifies the persistence and determination of the Edmonton Police Service's (EPS') Cyber Crimes Investigations Unit, a stolen bike was reunited with its rightful owner months after it was brazenly snatched from a garage in broad daylight.
It all started with an online Facebook Marketplace listing.
A burnt orange 2015 Trek Mountain bike was listed for sale. To the commonplace online bargain hunter, there were no red flags to indicate anything unusual about the posting other than what it appeared to be: an item an owner no longer saw use for, wanting to sell.
But for Ingrid Kuhse, it stood out like a sore thumb, not just because of its metallic, bright-orange complexion.
"The price on the listing was too good of a deal for the kind of bike it is. That's what made me think it may have been my stolen bike," explained Kuhse, adding that it was listed for sale less than a month after she filed a report with EPS for her stolen Trek bike—suspiciously identical to the one in the listing—in January 2023.
Stored in her garage until she had recovered from her hip replacement, the bike vanished without a trace, leaving Kuhse devastated and disheartened.
"I had three bikes and a bike trailer that were stolen, and two of the three bikes got returned to me thanks to Bike Index," said Kuhse. "When I reported them stolen, the officers downtown told me to make sure I register them on Bike Index. They said if they find bikes that match the description of mine, and the serial numbers align, then they can return it to me faster."
In 2019, the EPS partnered with Bike Index in an attempt to deter bike theft. The online bicycle registry is a non-profit online bicycle registry bike owners can use to prove ownership, alert the community if a bike has been stolen, or search for a found bicycle to return it to its owner.
The first of Kuhse’s three bikes, a 21-inch pro, Fatboy, was returned three days following the robbery after she received a phone call from an EPS officer informing her they had recovered her bike.
"The officer told me he looked on Bike Index online, and that's how he got a hold of me so fast," she said. "I couldn't believe it. I've heard of bikes stolen before, but I had never heard anyone ever getting their stolen bike back—ever."
Fast forward to February, when the stolen Trek bike became the centre of a digital age sleuthing saga following an anonymous online shopper's alert asking Kuhse if the listing may have been her elusive orange bike.
"I got this random text from someone who was on Bike Index and Facebook Marketplace, and they asked me, 'Hey, is this your bike?' And I was like, 'Yeah, that's my bike!'"
With the revelation that the stolen bike was now within reach, Kuhse reported the listing to EPS, and the police sprang into action.
"More and more, we're seeing stolen goods turn up on marketplace websites like Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji," said Detective Dana Gehring of EPS' Cyber Crimes Investigations Unit. "It's an ideal haven for thieves who have stolen goods."
Referred to as online fencing, Det. Gehring explained that an individual will take stolen goods to resell them later for profit, "Sometimes they'll sit on that item over several months until they are ready to turn to online marketplaces to sell it."
One innovative strategy that EPS employs to combat these threats and dismantle these kinds of networks is through a covert approach known as online fencing operations. By creating fictitious identities, officers establish a strong online presence to gain the trust of sellers operating in this illicit nature.
"By infiltrating these criminal networks in this way, we're able to not only recover stolen goods but also strengthen public safety and restore a sense of justice," said Det. Gehring.
However, as any seasoned investigator will attest, the path to recovering stolen goods is rarely smooth.
Despite EPS’ first attempt in February to arrange a buyback location that worked for both parties, the seller was a no-show, and the listing was gone. It was in early March when a second listing for the same bike surfaced.
"This one was a private sale, just someone's private Facebook post rather than Marketplace," said Kuhse. "I got another text from another person randomly saying, 'Hey, is this your bike?'. So again, I filled out another report with EPS."
Following Kuhse filing a second report for the Trek bike—and third report overall—EPS Constable Tuyen Nguyen contacted Det. Gehring to enlist his help for a second buyback attempt.
“Thirty minutes must have transpired between Const. Nguyen sending me the link to the listing and bringing me up to speed on Ingrid’s case,” said Det. Gehring. “And in that small window, the listing was suddenly pulled.”
Baffled but refusing to be discouraged by this new setback, Det. Gehring jumped into the marketplace rabbit hole to see what he could find. No sooner had he started combing through the postings when he stumbled upon a third listing advertising the same orange bike.
After creating a fictional identity online, Det. Gehring reached out to the listing seller through the online marketplace's messaging system, attempting to recover the bike through another buyback arrangement. A day went by before the seller responded, but once they did, it opened the door to communications, negotiation, and settling on a meeting location.
It took three days to confirm the meet-up arrangements and on the fourth day it was all-hands-on-deck as Det. Gehring and Const. Nguyen worked with a team of EPS officers to coordinate their moves to ensure the safety of the public and all parties involved and maximize the chances of a successful recovery.
With every detail meticulously ironed out, the moment had come for the police to retrieve the bike that had been kept from its rightful home for far too long.
"This time, our encounter with the seller went as planned, and through careful conversation, we were able to cross-reference the information provided with the stolen bike's sales receipt," said Det. Gehring.
A culmination of efforts that had spanned months, the stolen orange bike was recovered and returned to the arms of an overjoyed Kuhse.
"I told them I loved them," said Kuhse. "I was so happy. I had happy tears. I had so many bad things that happened to me over the last two years. It was the best thing that happened in years."
The emotional reunion was a testament to the dedication and tenacity of the EPS officers who tirelessly pursued the recovery, the vigilant online bargain hunters alerting Kuhse to the bike's listings, and the penultimate: Kuhse registering her bikes on Bike Index.
"Just register your bike as soon as you can and tell all your friends about it, too," said Kuhse. "I've been telling everybody and anybody I can about Bike Index since that happened to me. You can take pictures of your bike, make sure your insurance is up to date—it's all there."
"We were really pleased with the outcome of this file," said Det. Gehring. "Ingrid was extremely patient throughout our attempts to get it back, and we were happy to be able to bring some closure to this chapter of uncertainty for her."
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If you’re interested in learning more about how you can go about registering your bike on Bike Index, click here.