crime

100 tons of water 'stolen' from Ibaraki karaoke venue

10 Comments
By Katy Kelly, SoraNews24

An Ibaraki karaoke venue owner complained on Twitter in a now-deleted Tweet that he had been hoodwinked out of water during the self-isolation period, and has everyone scratching their heads of the hows and whys of such a crime.

“About half a year’s worth of water, 100 tons were used [on the premises of my store] without permission,” the tweet author wrote. “The inside of the establishment is protected under contract with a security company, but I never imagined someone would steal the water.”

He implored other companies following stay-at-home orders to tell their water companies to shut off service to external water faucets in the hope that no one else would suffer a similar fate. There has been at least one other case of water theft confirmed in this period from a restaurant in Kanazawa, so the warning seems sadly necessary.

Confused internet commenters tried to piece together possible culprits and motivations from the limited amount of information.

“I bet Kaiji is responsible,” mused one, referring to the hapless titular gambler from Nobuyuki Fukumoto’s manga.

“It’s not like there’s currently a water shortage or even a heatwave,” another commenter added. “Maybe it’s a farmer?”

“I bet someone just left the water running as a prank,” someone said, earning murmurs of assent and comparisons to the "Home Alone" movie from other commenters.

Meanwhile, other commenters were focused on more pressing issues.

“I’d be real suspicious of the first person to walk through those karaoke bar doors once it re-opens.”

“I don’t think anyone would survive after drinking that much anyway.”

“When I think about how much time and money it would take to transport all that water, it just doesn’t make any sense…”

Source: NHK News via Golden Times

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Testing Japan’s stay-home sauna solution, the Ofuro de Sauna Kasa【Photos】

-- Japanese start-up invents faucet gadget to reduce water usage by up to 95 percent

-- City in Aichi reduces water and sewage bills for four months, easing residents’ financial strain

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

10 Comments
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It went down the drains, of course!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Someone left the taps on but accident or on purpose. There is a reason that the tweet is now deleted

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Someone left the taps on but accident or on purpose. There is a reason that the tweet is now deleted

Sounds likely, doesn't it? Or that at least some explanation was provided.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I wonder if someone has got a koi pond next door and they wanted to top it up.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Water here is metered/billed in 4,000L (1,000 gal) increments. When the line to the house broke, we had a bill for 20,000 gal (120,000 L) that month. It was about $210. Replacing the line cost more. A $200 theft is national news?

Generally, our water use is lower than the meter can read, but we are charged for 1,000 gal as the minimum. Itemized, it is $3.16 for the water. Sewer, street lights, etc. brings the bill to $20/month.

How much is tap water there?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

What is a Karaoke bar doing with all that water, anyway? A karaoke sento?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

We all know it's now WATER under the bridge.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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