Take our user survey and make your voice heard.
Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a 17-year-old boy, who ran away from home, on suspicion of committing a string of bag snatches in Osaka and Sakai City.
According to police, the boy, who was arrested on Tuesday, has admitted he stole the bags because he didn’t have any money after running away from home, Kyodo News reported. Police said he told them he had stolen five bags containing around 530,000 yen in cash between March 24 and 29 in Osaka City’s Naniwa and Higashinari wards and in Sakai City.
All the victims were women in their 20s to 80s who were riding bicycles. Police said the boy approached them from behind on his bike, and as he rode past them, grabbed their bags from their bicycles’ front baskets.
Police said he used the stolen money to spend nights at a manga cafe. He returned home on April 7, at which time his father questioned him about what he had been doing and the boy confessed to the thefts. The father accompanied his son the following day to turn himself in to police.
© Japan Today
21 Comments
Login to comment
Rodney
How do you spend ¥530000 in manga cafes in less than two weeks?
PepperLunch
5 bags 530,000 unless he got super lucky amazing the sums people seem to randomly carry with them.
snowymountainhell
Terrible crimes and hope the victims can recover, at least, from their emotional losses by the violations.
snowymountainhell
Obviously some very painful yet much needed “tough love” by the young man’s father was going on, perhaps before the runaway incident but definitely upon the prodigal son’s return:
shogun36
Wait, he clears 530K with just 5 bags, which is ridiculously lucky he got that much. In just 5 days.
What would the outcome be had he done it for a month? Or more?
Then he decides to go home? For what? Just continue the spree.
And if his father never turned him in, what? The police would’ve never found him?
Restless
Sorry for those traumatized women. Never imagined the turn of events so,
much respect for the dad. His action is how exactly how we need to parent a wayward minor before it’s to late and work to their eventual redemption.
IMHO, I think the family will also work toward making sincere apologies and restitution for all the victims.
Would so very much like to read a follow up story on what happens from now.
Fighto!
Little dropkick. Good on the dad. Hope the little crim gets a stretch in custody.
BlackFlagCitizen
The crime took place 3 months ago. So in other words, if it wasn't for the father turning in his son, this crime probably would have never been solved. What were the cops doing?
Speed
I could easily be on the lam for five months with 530,000 yen. This kid seems to be big spender.
virusrex
Can't imagine the kind of process this decision must have taken, not everybody would have done the same as this father. Maybe this will become a good example for his son, he is still at an age where rehabilitation is possible.
Spinnaker Peter
New laws April 1, 2022.
Who knows, maybe decided to come home and go down to the koban with dad before his 18th birthday?
Good on Dad for turning him round.
purple_depressed_bacon
I have so many questions. A) if he ran away from home sometime in March, why didn't his father/family go to the police? B) why are people carrying so much cold hard cash in their bags?! C) how did he manage to spend that much in a fortnight??
Rodney
Some thoughts without full information.
why did he run away, was he abused?
why did he confess to his father, was he beaten?
why did his father, dob him in knowing the rest of his life is now ruined?
Johansawada
not sure why the boy ran away and whether it has anything to do with his father...
but i must say well done by the father for accompanying his son to the police... teaching his young one about accountability!
Christopher J. Thomas
Cameras. Cameras everywhere.
He is 17 and rebellious in the height of puberty.....We have all been there. But bag snatchings?
530.000 man? That is a felony in America. 17 or not Kid needs to be scared straight.
Japanese hard knocks prison version and sent to the roughest toughest Japanese prison there is for a week or two. Bet he comes out with sure fast willing desire to work to payback what he stole.....punk.....Wanna play got to pay....Manga Cafe my arse......Where the money kid?
Brian Wheway
If the young lad cant pay the money back he stole, may be he should sweep the streets and ally ways and hand wash trash cans, clean up where the homeless live, remove any graffiti with a scrubbing brush.
garypen
People here carry way too much cash with them. It's a holdover from a time not to long ago when many businesses did not accept credit cards, let alone all of the payment apps used now.
OTOH, all of the doctors' offices I've visited here, other than actual hospitals, are cash-only. So, it's still a thing in that segment, which is a big one.
DOEL HARRY
I don't know why he ran away from home BUT I'm happy he's back home and not living in the streets. Now he just has to deal with the Law and hopefully make amends for his crimes ....