TOKYO (TR) – An E-bike is a standard bicycle equipped with an integrated electric motor to provide assistance in pedaling by the rider.
As any pedestrian the capital knowns, such bicycles have become quite popular over the past few years. However, that does not seem to be true for bicycle thieves — at least according to Nippon News Network (Oct. 31).
The news site reports that Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 38-year-old man who admits to stealing up to 2,000 bicycles in the capital.
According to police, Kenji Uehara is suspected of stealing a road bike worth 30,000 yen from a bicycle parking lot for an apartment building in Inagi City in August.
Upon his arrest, Uehara admitted to the allegations. He said, “I stole and sold around 1,000 to 2,000 bicycles. I didn’t target E-bikes because they’re too heavy.”
In carrying out the thefts, Uehara is believed to have posed as a scrap collector. After stealing the bicycles, he loaded them into a truck he was riding in. He later sold them.
