Police in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, have arrested a 58-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of theft after he took the purse out of a woman’s rucksack at a pachinko parlor last month.
According to police, Yukio Watanabe has admitted stealing the purse containing about 20,000 yen from the rucksack which was on the floor under the pachinko machine.
The incident occurred at around 7:20 p.m. on Oct 9, Sankei Shimbun reported. Watanabe took the money when the woman, who is in her 70s, briefly left the machine. Later, when she returned home, she noticed her purse missing from the rucksack and contacted the pachinko parlor.
Surveillance camera footage showed a man resembling Watanabe bending down and opening the woman’s rucksack.
Police said there have been a series of similar thefts at pachinko parlors in the same area and are questioning Watanabe about his involvement in those incidents.
© Japan Today
8 Comments
Login to comment
3RENSHO
Who could have imagined that there are surveillance cameras in a pachinko parlour...
Mickelicious
This intangible cultural asset is forever sullied now.
Monozuki
From now on, she got to hold on tightly to her purse in case anyone tries to steal it.
Objective
It is refreshing too see that this type of crime still makes national headlines. The Japanese let their children know early that things like graffiti, illicit drug use, and petty theft are not a "rite of passage" as in other countries. Once a country stops paying attention to "minor" transgressions it is a slippery slope from there.
wtfjapan
my wife purse was stolen a few months back at the local supermarket, the police came and watched the secuirty footage. but becuase his face mask they could identify him. I said he will be caught if he tries to use my wifes cards or sell her phone, basically do something stupid. well he did get caught and it was something even more stupid than I predicted. He was shopping in the supermarket prior to stealing my wifes bag the moron used his own credit card during checkout, they verified it was him by the clothes he wore during the theft and checkout. only about 10 minutes apart,seriously what a moron, that why dumb thief get caught
WilliB
There are cameras all over in a Pachinko place. Not a criminal genius here.
kurisupisu
He’ll be getting at least ten years then...
sir_bentley28
Here's a good solution : Shut down all pachinko parlours! They serve no real purpose!