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​Woman Proves Not All Heroes Wear Capes As She Steals Bike Back From Thieves

​Woman Proves Not All Heroes Wear Capes As She Steals Bike Back From Thieves

Police said nothing could be done because they were understaffed, according to the LAD, so she tracked the thieves on eBay

Paddy Maddison

Paddy Maddison

A Manchester woman has made herself into an urban hero by finding the thieves who stole her bike and then nicking it back - even after the cops told her that they were "too busy to help" her.

The LAD, who has chosen to remain anonymous, had her wheels pinched and, despite there being clear CCTV footage of the theft, the police said that they would not investigate the crime.

"The police said, 'nothing can be done, we're understaffed'," the Manchester Royal Infirmary worker told the Manchester Evening News.

Undeterred, the young woman searched for several days on Gumtree and eBay before finding the bike and agreeing to buy it.

The hero who doesn't wear a cape struck a price and then told the police that she had located the missing mountain bike, but they were still unwilling to help.

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"They said, 'we can ring them, but they then usually vanish into thin air'," she explained. "I told them that if they wouldn't go round and get it, I'd do it myself."

Despite police warnings against going to the address of the tea leaves, she went anyway, bringing her husband, brother in law and three mates as back up.

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She offered £70 for the bike and asked for a test ride. She gave the thief her bag - filled with used bus tickets - and simply rode off. Once she had ridden it home, she called the police to inform them of the successful rescue mission.

"I did what I did as a matter of principle," she said afterwards. "It is like a military rule for me. For some people it's just a bicycle, but it's my bicycle."

According to the woman, the thief was a 20-year-old Asian male, around 5'8'' and with a skinhead.

"He looked innocent, like he wouldn't be involved with crime at all. He was very polite," she added.

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The police congratulated the woman and attempted to explain away their disinterest.

"At 5.35pm on January 19, police received a report of the theft a bicycle," they said. "Solving crime takes time and we allocate resources to investigate as soon as we possibly can. Each incident reported to us is dealt with based on the threat, harm and risk it poses and is prioritised appropriately. Officers will be reviewing the incident and making contact with the victim in due course."

The victim has had her bike stolen six times in 14 years, as well as having two motorbikes taken from in front of her house, both of which were recovered by police.

Featured Image Credit: MEN

Topics: Bike, Inspirational, Manchester, Community