A Vernon resident is frustrated following a slew of recent bike thefts from his building.
Andre Caminha lives at the Maple Ridge Gardens near the hospital.
He says five bikes have been stolen from a secure area of the building in just three days, including his e-bike, worth over $2,000, on Monday.
“We have someone, from inside or with access, stealing from our garage, which is all secure,” Caminha said, adding there’s no sign of broken doors or windows suggesting thieves forced their way in.
He says in addition to the bikes, a number of tools have been stolen. He guesses the total loss to be over $10,000.
Caminha is a student, and says the e-bike was his sole means of transportation to drop off his daughter at school and then go to the college every morning.
Originally from Brazil, his family came to Canada “in search of safety, only to end up losing an item that was very useful and used daily.”
He wishes the thieves had better access to education and work “so they wouldn’t need to steal.”
Caminha said the police have been contacted, but hasn’t heard anything about their investigation yet.
He hopes getting the word out will “scare the guys off.”
Vernon North Okanagan RCMP spokesperson Const. Chris Terleski says police are investigating thefts at the building which are believed to have occurred over the past few months, adding at this point no suspects have been identified.
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