crime

Ill-fitting suit tips police off to con man in Tokyo

17 Comments
By SoraNews24

On Oct 12, poor dressing habits came home to roost on 49-year-old Keisuke Ogawa, who was minding his own business in the streets of Tokyo when a police officer suddenly stopped him to ask a few questions.

This sometimes happens in major cities of Japan, as police officers often stand outside police boxes keeping an eye on the area while on duty, and the officer in question later admitted that there was something suspicious about the way Ogawa’s suit didn’t fit.

Ogawa reportedly told the officer off, saying “I don’t have to tell you anything.” He then boarded a train to Kinshicho Station and there locked himself inside a toilet stall…arguably not the best escape route.

For several hours he waited in the stall, all the while refusing to comply with police requests to step out. Meanwhile, the authorities took this time to investigate who they were dealing with and confirmed that Ogawa matched the description of a man involved in the con of an elderly woman in September by a group pretending to be her son over the phone.

Using security footage of the woman’s home, police say they could identify Ogawa picking up 1.8 million yen in cash and walking away. In the video he is said to be wearing the very same poorly fitting suit.

Ogawa eventually came out of the toilet, but not before breaking his phone into two pieces. He is reportedly not cooperating with police interrogations.

While still ongoing, this investigation has already been a wake-up call to several netizens about the importance of their own day-to-day appearance.

“Questioned because his suit didn’t fit, lol!”

“How badly does a suit not have to fit in order to warrant questioning?”

“I wonder if my suits fit properly…”

“That’s why I don’t wear suits.”

“I guess criminals have no sense of style.”

“Is this some kind of discrimination? Seems like it is, but I can’t tell.”

In answer to the discrimination possibility, at the time of the arrest another similar incident of fraud had recently occurred, so police were deliberately on the lookout for a man with fashion issues. However, in most places you can’t really throw a rock without hitting a guy who dresses poorly (myself included), so that alone couldn’t have been the case.

The suit was a giveaway, but the officer’s own instinct probably played a role as well when approaching Ogawa.

Generally a so-called con-artist is expected to be suave, but Ogawa was about as smooth-tongued as a five-year-old in a toy store. After all, when a cop asks you, “What are you doing?” there aren’t many more suspicion-arousing replies than, “I don’t have to tell you nothing!”

Source: TBS News, Nippon TV News 24, Hachima Kiko

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- “Annoying to put on clothes,” Kochi City official arrested for taking out garbage naked

-- Headless corpse found floating in Osaka harbor

-- Ritzy Japanese cop breaks Rolex wristwatch during arrest, sends suspect US$6,000 repair bill

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

17 Comments
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so police were deliberately on the lookout for a man with fashion issues.

Yes, it does happen in Japan.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

What if they saw a guy who was having a bad day, but looked similar to the thief?

Then the man would have cooperated with the police, answered his questions properly, and showed proper identification.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

I'm sure the policeman has seen many other people in bad suits and with bad fashion, but it was this guy he found suspicious. He turned out to be very right. Well done to that policeman for his good sense of character! May he go on to catch other criminals!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

so police were deliberately on the lookout for a man with fashion issues.

What a stupid reason to be on the look out for a person on the busy streets of TOKYO!!! A place known fir its strange fashions and styles! I've seen a bearded older man walk around in Tokyo wearing a beautiful long red gown, men in high heel shoes and stockings, men dresses as school girls and there are a lot worse. What if they saw a guy who was having a bad day, but looked similar to the thief?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

This is a huge victory for the fashion police.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

You don't see articles about the people police question who are not guilty of anything.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Here's an example of illegal police tactics catching a fish.

Only in an oppressive police state can an ill fitting suit be considered suspicious and grounds for police to stop and interrogate someone.

Great, they caught a con-man, but in doing so they broke the law themselves. Why bother with the badges? Just go vigilante.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

so police were deliberately on the lookout for a man with fashion issues.

Yes, it does happen in Japan.

Don't the police have better things to do? If they wish to pursue that issue, they can just look at the badly dressed news people on TV. Who cares how the person was dressed. Just his own expression.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

“Is this some kind of discrimination? Seems like it is, but I can’t tell.”

so what do you say to all the foreigners being stopped day and night for no reasons regardless of whether or not the cop likes their suit or if they are wearing a suit at all??

0 ( +1 / -1 )

It is said that "Clothes maketh the man". It seems to have worked in reverse for him!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I thought the police in Japan have the legal right to stop anyone to ask name and what they are doing - without probable cause.  Nothing illegal, no rights violated.  Smile, answer, and be on your way - if they don't identify a reason for further questioning or even a pat-down.  If they do, it might take a few more minutes, but if you are law abiding you will be off.  If you are not, you should be detained, crime being the bummer that it is.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

so what do you say to all the foreigners being stopped day and night for no reasons regardless of whether or not the cop likes their suit or if they are wearing a suit at all??

This actually happened to me three times in one month about three years ago. All three times, I was riding my bike in the same area when the police pulled me over to see my ID and asked if the bike was mine. They asked where I was going. On the third time, after asking me for my ID with the same question, I asked the police for theirs. I expressed my anger for them violating my rights and me and asked them why did they really stop me since I didn't do anything wrong and it's my business where I go. I was even following the crossings, along with a few others. In the end, they just apologized to me and left. After that, they didn't bother me again. I told my wife (who is Japanese) and she told me to just be careful. I told her that they violated me and that was not right in any case.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The cops violated his rights when they demanded to speak to him without probable cause.

The cops didn’t demand anything, they questioned him based on the fact that he matched a brief description of someone of interest to police. How are the police not doing a good job in this case? They got the guy, in large part thanks to his stupidity, but nevertheless they got the guy! Also, what Japanese rights were violated? Let’s not apply foreign rights to Japan

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The wearing of an ill fitting suit is most surely a sign of Moral Turpitude by the wearer and warrants immediate apprehension and investigation by Police.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

On the third time, after asking me for my ID with the same question, I asked the police for theirs. I expressed my anger for them violating my rights and me and asked them why did they really stop me since I didn't do anything wrong and it's my business where I go. I was even following the crossings, along with a few others. In the end, they just apologized to me and left. After that, they didn't bother me again. I told my wife (who is Japanese) and she told me to just be careful. I told her that they violated me and that was not right in any case.

Good on you mate! And sorry that you had to go through that.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I don't like the cut of your jib son. You been hustlin old folk?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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