COPENHAGEN: Danish investigators tracking an alleged bicycle theft stumbled upon works of art stolen from a Copenhagen gallery in late March, police said on Wednesday.

With more than 17,000 bicycles stolen in the Danish capital last year, some worried cyclists have taken to fitting their bikes with GPS trackers to help find them after a theft. One such tracker led the police to search a location in southern Copenhagen.

“We found much more than a stolen bike at the address in question,” police said in a statement.

“Several electric scooters and electric bikes were seized, 11 in all, all presumed stolen. At the same time, a number of works of art stolen from a Copenhagen gallery on the night of March 31 were recovered.”

Between 20 and 30 artworks by artist Kristian von Hornsleth were taken from his gallery in the theft after robbers used a car as a battering ram to break in. Fourteen were recovered during the police search, von Hornsleth’s team said.

Two men, aged 32 and 40, were arrested at the scene on suspicion of aggravated theft. Police are looking into how the art came into their possession.

A survey by the mayor’s office found that bike theft is the crime that Copenhagen residents most worry about.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2024