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Police said Thursday they are looking for two men who are suspected of robbing nine gasoline stations in Saitama Prefecture during a 4-hour period on Wednesday morning.
According to police, the first robbery took place at about 1 a.m. at a gas station in Uesato-cho. Surveillance camera footage showed two men in masks breaking into the office with a crowbar, NTV reported. Police said they were unable to open the office safe and eventually left the scene.
Eight other robberies occurred over an 80-kilometer distance until 5 a.m., police said. Two cash boxes containing 240,000 yen each were stolen from a gas station at Fukayashi. Robberies were also reported in Kawagoe. In all, the financial losses were estimated at 750,000 yen, police said.
© Japan Today
15 Comments
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WilliB
Saitama is back in the news!
KnowBetter
Well, it's Saitama. What did you expect WilliB? :P
Not even Tennoji in Osaka or Saitama Prefecture worry me though compared to other places in the world with similar population per square kilometre. In Japan it's still very safe, if you want trouble you almost have to go out and punch it in the nose. Don't get me wrong shite still happens but not on a scale one would expect for so many people living so close together. Call it the "Friction Principal".
Hiroicci
Saitama should change names to New Peckham.
telica
Saitama seems to pop up a lot in crime related news, is there something about Saitama other than a pretty big population that could explain this?
Hiroicci
Lack of love or respect for that piece of land from the Japanese???
Saitama is not too cool the same way as Tokyo is. It's not too rural to attract nostalgia-struck tourists or nature lovers just as its neighbouring prefectures such as Gunma, Ibaraki and Tochigi do. Saitama just exists there like an enclave with little to offer.
Maybe people just say to themselves, "Ah well, we shouldn't do these things to anybody or anywhere, but, hell, this is Saitama, so maybe we can..."
Or they might think that the police force isn't too strong or ubiquitous as it is in Tokyo.
DudeDeuce
No matter what- Saitama >>> Tokyo. People are much more genuine and easy-going.
The reason why you chose to live in Tokyo is because-
Big City compared to your country bumpkin upbringing You never heard of any other city in Japan You can hang out with a gang of other white people 24/7Disillusioned
No doubt these crooks were driving their own car and their number plate will show up somewhere. A diligent police force would have them rounded up by this evening, but who knows if or when the j-cops will pick them up.
cramp
8k between a coupla guys...damn i dunno, doesn't seem worth the trouble or risk
megosaa
daSaitama... lived there for 7 years.
Elbuda Mexicano
Why is Saitama so bad?? Easy! Just like Kanagawa, the Tokyo government, under ISHIHARA have been very strict with the YAKUZA, etc.and the scum feel the heat in TOKYO, what do scum do?? They move on over to easier places like Saitama, Kanagawa and my guess is that the Yakuza etc..are also feeling the pain of this bad economy and what is a scum yakuza to do?? Sure! Go and tell the lower level mafia chinpira to go and rob gas stations, right??
Disillusioned
Elbuda - are you implying these two unprofessional thieves are yakuza? furthermore, are you also implying all the teenage thugs running around stirring up trouble in Saitama are yakuza? You have never had anything to do with the yakuza, have you? The yakuza are professional white-collar criminals and extortionists. If any of their members were to do anything as stupid and as bold as this pair they would end up in a barrel in the ocean.
Hiroicci
Elbuda, Kanagwa has a lot to offer such as Yokohama, Yokosuka and Kamakura, to name a few. Those places are considered cool or important. What does Saitama offer? Nagatoro? Have you been there or even heard of that? Urawa? No reason to go there if you aren't a football fan. Omiya? Which place would you prefer to date in, Omiya or Yokohama?
If you tell someone that you're from Yokohama, s/he will say, "Oh you're a city boy, aren't you?"
If you say you're from somewhere in Saitama, it'll be either, 1) where? 2) ah, you must like Ikebukuro, 3) boring, innit? 4) (sneer).
presto345
These guys went to a lot of trouble for some paltry cash.
nandakandamanda
Why do they have to hit on gas stations where profit margins are so small? Seems a bit unfair to the owners.
Lowly
cramp is right, not worth the risk for such a small haul, esp w/such a big team. don't know why he caught all those thumbs dn for that.
if just kids, not pros, 8 guys= more chances for one to crack, or brag around town.