crime

Bag snatcher on motorbike strikes 3 times within 15 minutes in Saitama

7 Comments

A man on a motorbike came behind women and snatched their handbags on three occasions within 15 minutes on Saturday night in an area near JR Omiya Station in Saitama city, police said Sunday. The man got away with around 80,000 yen, police said.

According to police, in the third incident, a 29-year-old woman was walking home at around 11:30 p.m. when the man rode up behind and yanked her handbag, containing 50,000 yen, from her shoulder, Fuji TV reported. The empty handbag was found discarded about 50 meters away.

The woman was shaken by the incident but not hurt, police said.

Police said two similar incidents occurred 15 minutes earlier within a two-kilometer radius. In the first incident, at 11:15 p.m., a 19-year-old woman riding a bicycle had her bag stolen from the basket on her bike, and in the second incident, the victim was a 33-year-old woman, also riding a bicycle. The three women described the man on the motorbike as being dressed all in black.

Police are examining street surveillance camera to try and identify the bike license plate.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

7 Comments
Login to comment

The crime rate in Japan is still very low. Same thing happened to my ex wife many years ago in Korea. She lost some money and her passport, and was severely bruised from being knocked to the ground.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

a 19-year-old woman riding a bicycle had her bag stolen from the basket on her bike,

You can buy a simple basket cover at the ¥100 store that will prevent this kind of theft. My step daughter had her bag lifted from the basket of her bicycle a month ago by a loser on a scooter. The cops caught the perp and charged him with 30 other similar incidents over one year. However, he did not go to court. It was all settled outside the courts with a few cash payments. She got ¥100,000 from it, but it also means there was no conviction helping to keep the crime statistics low.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

I was stopped by the cops yesterday for the third time this year to check for bag snatchers. They spend 15 minutes checking out all your details: license number, plate number, gaijin card number, bike name , make and color, etc. All the while everyone goes by staring at you for being apprehended by the cops and thinking you're a lawbreaker. Somehow I feel there's more to this harassment than merely checking on bag snatchers.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

This type of crime has been prevalent and growing in the UK and across southern Europe.  now come to Japan.......  I sense crime here is on the up.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Bag snatching on bikes or motorbikes - been happening for decades.

Just be alert but not to the degree of paranoid. Crime here is still relatively low.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@ Mighty - I used to think the same way, but lately the police where I live have been stopping a lot of Japanese too, just to check if bikes are stolen. And, it's been a long time since I've been stopped and had my ID checked for being white in public.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Somehow I feel there's more to this harassment than merely checking on bag snatchers.

Could it have been part of the annual training program for new police officers in how to stop and question people?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites