Re: Newest purchase GT Zaskar possibly 1991?
If it's got a new serial number on it, then it's probably stolen-recovered. I seem to remember when the police had their occasional sales of bikes that had been recovered but not claimed, they'd put a new serial number on if none existed. On motorbikes, the prefix the frame number with 'POL' or similar if it's there, dunno if they do the same with bicycles.
So if it was stolen previously, it was most likely legit by the time the previous owner bought it. The BB shell would be the logical place for them to put a new serial, I guess.