crime

2 men arrested for stealing tires from submerged cars in flood-hit Joso

17 Comments

Police in Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, have arrested two men on suspicion of stealing tires from cars submerged by flood waters last month.

The suspects, Koji Sakairi, an unemployed 40-year-old man, and his 19-year-old nephew, were arrested in their pickup truck in Joso's Misakamachi district at around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Fuji TV reported Thursday.

Police said there were two tires and a crowbar in the back of the truck. Sakairi was quoted by police as saying he and his nephew stole the tires from submerged vehicles.

Since the area suffered devastating floods in September forcing thousands of people to evacuate from their homes police said there have been numerous reports of cash and auto parts stolen from abandoned residences.

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17 Comments
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Time are hard!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Time are hard for some companies looking for people with skills.

I see these two have skills too. They can remove car parts. Why don't they get a job that can use those skills?

Now, that I have said that, these two are morons!

1 ( +5 / -4 )

It is no different to any natural disaster in Japan (despite what the media might tell you) - widespread looting and theft (from someone who worked for Japanese police and SDF).

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Remember what happened in Florida after Katerina? "Looters will be shot!"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No wonder there are so many clean cheap tires on Yahoo auction. Buyer beware.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Did the police check their PADI license

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"Police said there have been numerous reports of cash and auto parts stolen from abandoned residences."

Looting happens quite a bit in Japan, particularly after natural disasters. God knows why Americans are under the illusion that the Japanese don't loot.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Working underwater with a dive mask, snorkel, jack and wheel brace (wrench) isn't easy you know. I assume that they are stealing the wheels and tyres, not just the tyres.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Must have been hard work, and it is kind of enterprising. I'd rather earn money doing what I'm doing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Undermining bastards!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

As illegal and mean as this act is - the truth of the matter is these things(which don't belong to them) have absolutely zero value in Japan. No value whatsoever will be attached to the wheels, in fact the whole cars will have the value of a few thousand yen as scrap - maybe.

Disaster damaged goods in Japan are wanted by no one and the chances of re-using such parts are minimal. Scrap at the maximum. This is simply how it is in a mottainai society.

I don't condone the mens action but at least they probably had a needy practical use for the objects, because I doubt there is a market for 2nd hand flooded wheels in japan.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

JeffLeeOCT. 22, 2015 - 05:46PM JST "Police said there have been numerous reports of cash and auto parts stolen from abandoned residences." Looting happens quite a bit in Japan, particularly after natural disasters. God knows why Americans are under the illusion that the Japanese don't loot.

I'm convinced that the Japanese administrations and media have been masters of propaganda to the world.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

2nd hand flooded wheels in japan.

How do you flood a wheel? Anyway, you might want take 30 seconds and check out the second hand tire and wheel market on yahoo auction. It is, by the way, where I bought mine seperatly, and saved over ¥50,000.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This is called "recycling".

1 ( +1 / -0 )

fizzbit - thanks. Flooded wheels - ones that have been in a flood ie submerged & by all accounts banged round a bit.

And I have bought 2nd hand wheels & tyres online, esp. winter/snow tyres, for the past 12 years. Bargains to be had.

My main point (with a little more fill in the gap elaboration)was that, if or when the car was finally "dry-docked", it's total value would be close to nix. Depending on the age & model, one may even have to pay for it to be taken away for scrap recycling. Certainly no insurance comp would want to take on the expense of returning a flooded"that word again" as in disaster flooded, vehicle to it's "before" condition.

And yes these 2 men could well have been part of a sell to the unknown scam, but either way this illegal practice probably made better use of the resources than melting down - but it's illegal.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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