Thief allegedly amassed 2,000 bicycles

TORONTO, July 24 (UPI) -- A Toronto bicycle shop owner is suspected of accumulating more than 2,000 stolen bicycles, police said.

Igor Kenk, 49, proprietor of The Bicycle Clinic, faces 60 charges after police raided three locations Wednesday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

"I'm astonished," Toronto Police Superintendent Ruth White told reporters. "I've never seen this in 30 years, that allegedly one individual can accumulate this many bicycles over this many years."

Kenk was arrested July 16, after police allegedly saw him directing a man with bolt cutters to steal a bike left by police as bait, the CBC reported. He is to enter a plea Friday.

Finding the bicycles' rightful owners will be tough since most people don't register them. So far, only 55 have been returned.

Toronto police say more than 50,000 bikes have been reported stolen in the city since 1997.