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Police in Tsuyama, Okayama Prefecture, have arrested an 80-year-old man on suspicion of attempting to rob a bank by using a toy gun.
According to police, Torao Terasaka walked into a branch of Chugoku Bank at around 9:25 a.m. on Tuesday and pointed what appeared to be a handgun at a 62-year-old female bank employee and demanded cash, Sankei Shimbun reported.
Police responded to a silent alarm from the bank and apprehended Terasaka while he was still inside the bank. Police said the firearm was a toy gun.
There were 15 people in the bank at the time, including staff and customers, but no one was injured.
© Japan Today
12 Comments
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David Brent
Not much risk to the perpetrator. Potentially gets to walk away with some free cash. The alternative is a Japanese prison for the rest of his days. No doubt either option is preferable to his crappy pension and crumbling, tin-clad "house".
virusrex
Because of the choice of a bank (that has proper security) and the clear lack of a plan or aptitude for the crime this may be just an attempt to live for a while (or until death) under care of the government in a prison. Of course it may not be the case but with few details this is the impression I get.
Some dude
Waiting for the inevitably hilarious translation of his excuse.
"I thought that the bank employee would be convinced that it was a real gun"
"I would have gotten away for it if it weren't for those meddling kids"
"She was 62. She was my type. I was flirting".
Zaphod
From a toy gun wielded by an 80-year old? What a surprise.
virusrex
Panic can result on people getting hurt while fleeing, even without any weapon or toy, screaming "Fire" in a confined space can be the cause of injuries.
tora
Lol!
Lindsay
Shows how desperate many oldies are in the rich country. He probably only wanted money for food.
falseflagsteve
What a terribly queer affair! The man was 80 years old, yes that’s right 80! Well, I would expect there are several reasons why this chap carried out this foolish act. Could be he was fed up and wanted to go to prison for an easier life. Maybe he has dementia or possibly he became a mentalist.
I wonder if we will find out what the reason is.
elephant200
He wanted to stay behind bars until his last day of his life. He doesn't cares his own personal freedom anymore. He just want a stable for food and shelter with rents, medical free. How sad !
James
This is Japan after all and he is Japanese so they will probably just give him a suspended sentence. So if that is his plan I wonder what crime he will do next.
Offwithyourarrogance
The question remains, where did he buy a toy gun from, or did he borrow it from his illusive Grandkids?....uhmmm
thinkbefore
There is a lot of poverty among the elderly in Japan now. The pension is not enough. The government needs to do more to help them.