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Police in Tokyo have arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of assault and robbery after he entered the home of a woman in her 30s, threatened her with a stun gun and cut her arm with a knife before stealing her bank passbook.
According to police, the incident occurred at around 10 a.m. on Oct 11 in Hachioji, Kyodo News reported. The man got in through an unlocked door.
Police said the woman told them the intruder was wearing a ski mask and that he used the voice browser on his smartphone to demand she give him her passbook and hanko (seal).
The woman was home alone with her 4-month-old baby at the time. Police said the woman’s injury was minor and the child was not hurt.
The suspect was arrested Saturday in Shizuoka Prefecture after his car was identified from street surveillance camera footage taken outside the Hachioji home.
Police said the man, who is a company employee and lives in Tokyo, is known to the woman’s family. They said he has admitted to the charge and quoted him as saying he needed money to pay back a loan.
© Japan Today
7 Comments
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oldman_13
Sigh, no coincidence these kinds of random crimes have been reported with increasing frequency here the past few years.
travelbangaijin
Why did he demand to take the hanko seal? He won't be able to transact without her being present, correct?
Fighto!
Sigh. Just because perhaps more crimes are reported on JT just means they are reported more.
Crime across Japan is going down year by year. Google the stats if you really care
Michael Machida
Crime rates rise for a variety of reasons in Japan. Some common factors that might contribute to an increase in crime include economic challenges, changes in social structures, shifts in demographics, substance abuse problems, alterations in cultural and societal norms, and adjustments in law enforcement practices.
Michael Machida
I guess I really care: The number of crimes recorded in Japan in the first six months of 2023 increased by more than 20% compared to the same period of the previous year, due in part to an increase in street crime and break-ins amid an easing of COVID-19 restrictions, police data showed Wednesday.
GillislowTier
Tried to rob someone using the voice feature on a phone to hide their identity… smart. Steals a bank book, personal seal, and uses their own car in a neighborhood with security cameras… not smart.
Oh well. Maybe someday criminals will learn to not steal easily tracked items. But that’s almost everything now