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End of the road for bicycle thief from Moldova
A bicycle thief from Moldova has been arrested and arraigned in Dubossary, Pridnestrovie. The 36 year old entered Pridnestrovie at night to steal bicycles which he then took back across the border and sold in Moldova. He will now be tried and sentenced in Pridnestrovie.
The 36 year old Moldovan entered PMR to steal bicycles which he then sold in Moldova. He'll now be sentenced in PMR (file photo)DUBOSSARY (Tiraspol Times) - The crime spree of one of Moldova's busiest bicycle thieves has come to an end.
A 36 year old Moldovan who specialized in stealing bikes in Pridnestrovie has been arrested by Dubossary police and arraigned in PMR court.
Working alone, the man would leave Moldova and cross into Pridnestrovie's territory at night in order to commit his crimes. Police believe that he felt that the risk of detection was lower by operating in a different jurisdiction, out of reach of Moldovan law enforcement.
All of his crimes took place between 1 and 2 a.m., and in almost all cases he acted alone. In one single instance, he brought his brother with him into Pridnestrovie. From Moldova, he brought his own tools with him for breaking and entering.
- Bicycle thief entered on foot
The accused is from a village located in Moldovan territory near the Dniester river which forms the border between Moldova and Pridnestrovie. Under cover of darkness, he would cross into Pridnestrovie on foot.
Over the time span of two and half years, the Moldovan carried out at least eighteen nightly crime sprees. All of his thefts were carried out in the city of Dubossary and two nearby villages; Lunga and Dzerzhinskoye.
The 36 year old man, who is unemployed, has a previous criminal record for theft in the Republic of Moldova.
The press service of the PMR Interior Ministry informed that the man was arrested by Dubossary police in late May, following a lengthy investigation.
During the time until his arrest, he managed to steal sixteen bicycles and a moped. In most cases, he would break into outhouses and storage sheds, as well as basements and other locations where he suspected that bicycles would be stored. He would then ride the bikes back to Moldova where he would sell them in and around his native village.
- Cooperating with Pridnestrovie's police
Although specializing in bicycles, the bicycle thief would also grab whatever else he could lay his hands on and either use for himself or sell for money in his own village in Moldova.
In addition to bikes, he also stole canned food, stuffed toy animals and, in one case, even a live chicken. In 2006, from an apartment building in Dubossary, he stole a baby carriage which he transported back into Moldova with him. In his native village in Moldova, he subsequently sold it for 100 Leis (approx. $8).
According to Tiraspol's New Region news agency, the total value of the goods stolen by the accused in the Dubossary area is estimated at 11,275 PMR Rubles, which is the equivalent of just over $1,300 US dollars.
The accused is cooperating with police. He acknowledges his misdeeds and will plead guilty to all charges. He has been assigned a Pridnestrovie-based lawyer and is currently imprisoned in Dubossary while awaiting trial.
According to Pridnestrovie law, the name of the accused can not be made public until after sentencing.
See also:
» Moldova
» Ministry of Internal Affairs lists PMR's 10 most wanted
On the web:
» PMR Ministry of Internal Affairs
In a direct style with no diplomatic niceties, Igor Smirnov reveals that he broke out laughing when he read his Moldovan counterpart Vladimir Voronin's strategy for solving their territorial conflict. He calls Voronin's plan "wishful thinking" caused by early election campaigning. Pridnestrovie's President also says that future talks will focus on normalizing relations between Moldova and the PMR. . . 
