crime

3 Colombians, 1 Peruvian arrested over at least 150 burglaries

21 Comments

Police in Tokyo have arrested three Colombian men and one Peruvian man on suspicion of breaking into at least 150 homes and stealing cash and jewelry worth around 250 million yen since last November.

According to police, three of the group have admitted to the charge while the fourth has denied the charge, Fuji TV reported.

Police said the four men all entered Japan using forged passports.

Starting last November, the gang targeted homes in Tokyo’s Suginami and Ota wards, as well as Yokohama. Police said they usually picked houses whose owners were away on trips and then broke in through windows.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

21 Comments
Login to comment

I guess 149 just wasn't enough.  A classic Kenny Rogers song comes to mind.

S

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The only vulgar and offensive people I know are folk who burgle other people because they can’t be bothered working like normal folk do.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

So 4 people, not working, with 250 million yen in their pockets, no passport, 150 unsolved crimes that we know of...and a Koban on every second corner, and brand new police cars abound...

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

and a Koban on every second corner, and brand new police cars abound

what does that have to do with catching burglars? lots of the kobans are just one-man operations.

the combined population of ota and suginami wards is over one million people. throw in yokohama and you have several million people. it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

3 Columbians & 1 Peruvian = 150 robberies. Talk about giving foreigners a bad name.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

How did they know the residents were on a trip as opposed to just out at work, school, shopping, and errands?

Instagram and Facebook posts about being on holiday is one method. Scoping out the houses over several days is another method. They organised fake passports, came to Japan and robbed 150 houses, its likely they are pretty good at what they do.

Japan probably has a bit of a reputation overseas as a soft target for crime like this. Coupled with the love of hoarding cash, I hope this doesnt become a regular occurrence.

Lets hope they arent just deported for not having valid passports/visas. I hope they get a lengthy jailterm here in Japan, to send a message to others thinking of doing the same thing.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

How did they know the residents were on a trip as opposed to just out at work, school, shopping, and errands?

That is how pros work. When my apartment building was burglarized, they knew exactly which 8/20 apartments were not home at 5:30pm on Thursday evenings. They were eventually caught as part of a large burglary operation that had burglarized 5,000 plus homes. You never know when someone is watching you.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This story sounds rather farfetched.

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

There are just to many foreigners in Japan, some come to visit friends & relatives, some come to see the land of the Rising Sun, some come to work and live clean life's and some come to destroy the beauty and the way of life in Japan, such as these four Butt-Holes .... These guys entered the country using fake passports, They came with the purpose of committing crimes. just think if the Japanese cops would stop foreigners and check there credentials these guys may have been caught months ago and the home owners would not have there property taken. I wonder if they raped or injured anyone during there crime spree. In some countries if your caught stealing they chop off a hand and that would be proper punishment in this case but a lengthy prison term then deportation will probably be the end result.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

So 4 people, not working, with 250 million yen in their pockets, no passport, 150 unsolved crimes that we know of...and a Koban on every second corner, and brand new police cars abound...

But the crimes are solved and the bad guys have been arrested.

Granted that it would have been better to have gotten them well before they reached 150 break ins, but they've been at it less than a year and I assume that investigating burglaries by its nature takes some time so I'm not sure if criticism of the police is really well-founded in this instance.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

False passports. These guys are pros even before setting foot in Japan. How long did it take these police to catch them?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

As a victim of burglary a few years ago I can relate to this, not a good feeling to know someone has been through your house whilst you weren’t there.

@Harryo

You mention too many foreigners in Japan and imply that is a bad thing? That Police should stop and check ‘foreigners credentials’ more? I thought that’s what they do anyway but it does not send a nice message to foreign tourists/residents does it?

1 ( +5 / -4 )

I think the forged passport thing is the one thats going to put these guys in a Japanese cell for a very long time. Scumbags. Seems they came to Japan just to to run tables on hard working folk.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I was wondering if they had set a target for themselves. Say a cool 100 million each before they leave the country. With fake passports, there would be almost no chance of them getting found out once they left Japan.

I was also thinking they must have had a fence in Japan who they could sell their stolen items to. There has to be at least one more party involved.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

3 Colombians, 1 Peruvian arrested over at least 150 burglaries

Interesting that the burglars are identified as originating from Latin America countries. In the U.S. this article would be considered racial, prejudiced, discrimination, etc..

There are just to many foreigners...some come to destroy the beauty and the way of life in Japan, such as these four Butt-Holes ....These guys entered the country using fake passports, They came with the purpose of committing crimes...  I wonder if they raped or injured anyone during there crime spree....

And yet Trump is denounced for saying the very same thing about foreigners, particularly illegal aliens, coming into the U.S......and destroying the way of life in the U.S.

just think if the Japanese cops would stop foreigners and check there credentials these guys may have been caught months ago.....

 I thought that’s what they do anyway but it does not send a nice message to foreign tourists/residents does it?

Worried about not sending a nice message? I would think stopping suspicious-looking foreigners or foreigners acting in a suspicious manner and checking their credentials and deporting if warranted, would send a message that the country is safe and secure and free of undesirable elements.

In the U.S. the police are discouraged to check for proper entry documentation. Can't even stop suspected illegal aliens and checking their credentials.

In some countries if your caught stealing they chop off a hand and that would be proper punishment in this case but a lengthy prison term then deportation will probably be the end result.

As it should be. That's a good deterrent and ensures they won't do it again. But in "civilized" countries like the U.S., even lengthy prison and deporting an illegal alien for "minor offenses" such as stealing would be considered "cruel and inhumane" punishment.

But I'm glad to see the police and judicial system in Japan knows how to handle these criminals and not coddle them.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

If the Japanese cops would stop foreigners and check THEIR credentials these guys may have been caught months ago *

I was STOPPED by a Bad Cop / Good Cop Duo; TAKEN to the Station and my friend had to bring my passport or they would have sent me to Yokoyama....just for asking directions, but it took them 150x to finally catch these hombres.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

if they have enough money to go through all the trouble of coming to Japan from afar just to commit burglary then I don't really see their need for committing burglary in the first place...it's not like they were exactly poor and in dire need of some cash...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If said story is true, then it's obvious there's a ring leader. Maybe somebody here "legally" who had inside information on who would be taking vacations. Time to find the missing link.

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