Police recover electric bike

A Coquitlam resident who reported to police online that his electric bike had been stolen had it returned the next week.

And RCMP are using the incident as a way to encourage Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam residents to file minor non-emergency crimes electronically.

Officers say Ahmad Kharazmi wrote to the detachment on Oct. 8 about the theft of his ebike from an underground parking lot — near Glen Drive and Johnson Street — between Sept. 22 and Oct. 3.

In a follow up with police, he gave more details and photos of the bike for their investigation.

“The electric bicycle was pretty unique with its blue colour and the black battery-pack in the middle,” stated Const. Scott Shaw, who happened to spot the bike while out on routine patrol.

Const. Shaw returned the bicycle to Kharazmi on Oct. 17.

“I’m extremely happy to have my electric bicycle returned,” Kharazmi said in a news release.

“When I reported this theft online, I wasn’t sure if I would get my bike back. This is a great outcome.”

Cpl. Alexa Hodgins said it’s important to report all crimes, stating “the information gained from those smaller reports can help identify crime trends and connections to more serious incidents."

“Or, in this case," she added, "we can return the stolen property to its rightful owner.”