A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in connection on suspicion of robbing a convenience store in Tokyo last month.
According to police, the boy, who lives in Edogawa Ward, entered a FamilyMart store in the same ward at 3:40 a.m. on Nov 26 and threatened the male cashier with a model gun, TV Asahi reported. He demanded money and left the store with 112,000 yen in cash.
There were no customers in the store at the time and the cashier was not hurt.
Within an hour of the incident, there were attempted robberies by a boy using the same method at a Lawson store in Edogawa Ward and a 7-Eleven store in Katsushika Ward.
Police said the boy, who was identified after an analysis of surveillance camera footage at the three stores, has admitted to his involvement in all three incidents and that he used a toy gun.
Police said the boy told them he threw the toy gun and the clothes he was wearing at the time into a river. He also told police he threw away the stolen money after realizing he might get caught.
© Japan Today
12 Comments
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sakurasuki
This is the problem with country that gun possession is really restricted, people have no clue which one the gun is real or just a toy. Many people becoming a subject to disguise a toy as real gun.
njca4
When I was a kid, a young guy in my hometown used a banana to rob the local Halifax bank . Of course, he wasn't waving the banana around, but rather had it in his pocket. He ended up doing time for that.
Real gun or not, the intent was to cause fear and steal money. Should be going directly to prison.
IMadeAnAccountJustForThis
@sakurasaki
But the good thing about restricted gun possession is the boy can't get hold of a real gun. He might have killed someone accidentally with a real one.
I would personally prefer being held up by a fake gun thinking it was real, than a real gun to experience that it's real.
Harry_Gatto
Yeah, right, of course he did. Even so, I expect that many people in the area have suddenly decided to take a walk just to take a quick look around the neighbourhood.
shogun36
definitely a genius.....
lock him up
oldman_13
It's not just Japan, but a worldwide phenomenon where youth are getting more emboldened to commit crimes like these.
grc
Oldman_13, true, but this is a story of it happening in Japan. I don’t see what value your comment adds
Brian Wheway
In the UK if you go into a place, point a toy or real gun at someone it's classed as armed robbery, no ifs no buts. I don't know what the laws are in Japan, but this kid is going to do some time in prison, either way he had intent, real or toy gun. What a silly mistake he made.
NipponGlory
This is regrettable. We must to punish this trouble maker to full extent of the law. Also his delnquent parents must also face harsh punishments. It is my opinion.
Zaphod
Practising early for a carreer in yamibaito?
tora
Arakawa? Finders keepers.
ILoveDownvotes
@tora
And with this, the boy singlehandedly improved the health of all the citizens living around there