Man realizes bike in ad is stolen, buys it and goes on a mission to track the real owner down

Ste Burke realized that the offer he had found was too good to be true. He could have bought the stolen bike and kept it for himself. But he did the right thing instead.

If you saw something worth over $1,600 listed for just $100, what would you do?

Flickr Source: Flickr

There’s really only one reason why something so valuable would be listed for such a low price: because it was stolen.

Many people buy stolen goods online, claiming that they had no idea that the item was stolen.

Flickr Source: Flickr

Of course, in many of those instances, it’s pretty easy to tell that the item was stolen. But most people feign ignorance, knowing that they won’t get into trouble in the unlikely event that the police identify the stolen goods.

So when a thief sold a top-of-the-line bike to Ste Burke in Liverpool, UK, he thought that the original owner would never see it again.

The item was obviously stolen. Not only was it being sold for so little money, but it also still had a lock attached between the wheel and the frame.

Ste Burke/Twitter Source: Ste Burke/Twitter

But Ste was determined to put the thief’s wrong right.

He took to Twitter to search out the original owner. He wrote the following: “Has anyone had their bike stolen? Just bought this for £80 and it’s got a bike lock on it.”

Ste Burke/Twitter Source: Ste Burke/Twitter

He also explained where he thought the bike had come from. Lastly, he said why he was searching out the bike’s rightful owner. He knew it was expensive and would be heartbroken if it had been his bike in the first place.

People on Twitter liked and retweeted the original post, hoping that the true owner would see it.

Eventually, the original owner saw this post and messaged Ste. So Ste asked for the owner to show up with the key to the lock and anything else that would prove he was the owner.

As well as the key, the owner arrived at Ste’s house with the original receipt for the bike.

After the bike was back with the owner, Ste took to Twitter to inform everyone that the case was closed.

Ste Burke/Twitter Source: Ste Burke/Twitter

All that was left was for Ste to do was bask in the online praise. Thousands of Twitter users told him that he was an amazing person. Even British celebrities, like the musician Stormzy and actor Ralf Little, shared their appreciation of Ste’s selflessness.

Ste Burke/Twitter Source: Ste Burke/Twitter

And just when you think that Ste can’t get any better, he does! Some people asked Ste if the original bike owner offered to pay back the £80 he had paid for the bike. Ste said that he had, but Ste had refused to take the money!

Ste refused the money because the bike was just one of the things that the owner had lost to burglary. The owner’s entire home had been ransacked, and Ste didn’t want to deprive the poor person any further.

It seemed like Ste’s only reward for his selflessness would be praise and good karma. But then the UK bike retail chain got in touch with Ste and offered him his very own bike. It’s hard to deny that he deserved it!

Ste Burke/Twitter Source: Ste Burke/Twitter

Everyone should try to lead by Ste’s example. Even if you’re not going to get a reward yourself, you should always do what is right.

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Source: Lad Bible

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