crime

Man arrested for stealing women’s shoes and replacing them with new ones

43 Comments
By Dale Roll, SoraNews24

Aichi Prefecture in central Japan seems to be a hot spot for weird criminal activity these days, between people selling modified Pokemon from a hacked game, stealing piano covers from schools, and slashing women’s car tires. And now we can add one more crime to the list: theft of women’s shoes, and replacing them with brand new ones.

Hiroaki Katsu, 33, an office worker from Nagakute City in Aichi, has been arrested on the theft charges. According to investigators, the man had about 20 pairs of women’s shoes in his house, ranging in style from boots to loafers, flats, and pumps.

The arrest came after Katsu was discovered to be the culprit that swapped out a pair of shoes valued at about 5,000 yen from a 23-year-old female instructor at a music school in Nagoya. The incident occurred at about 10:50 a.m. on Jan 30, but the instructor only noticed something strange when she put her shoes on before heading home (it’s not unusual for people in Japan to change into slippers while at their workplace). The shoes she had worn to work were thoroughly broken in, so she thought it was strange that at the end of the day “her shoes” looked and felt like new.

The woman contacted the police, suspecting that her shoes had been switched out. After an investigation led them to Katsu, police arrested the man on April 6, whereupon he confessed to the crime. Katsu and the instructor had never actually met before he stole her shoes.

Though he was initially arrested for the theft of one woman’s shoes, he was found with a collection of shoes that seemed to belong to several different women. When asked, he confessed to stealing those shoes, too. 

“I wanted to smell the scent of women’s shoes,” he admitted.

Police consider the crimes to be premeditated, as Katsu had taken care to replace each pair of shoes with a brand new pair in the same brand, style, size, and color. They are currently investigating whether additional charges should be placed against him.

Sources: Tokai TV via Hachima Kiko, Mainichi Shimbun, FNN Prime Online, 0TV News 24, Nikkan Sports

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Nagoya man arrested for stealing piano covers from schools for reasons unknown to all

-- Aichi man arrested again after having slashed over 1,000 women’s tires to get to know them better

-- Man arrested in Japan for selling modified Pokémon to Sword and Shield players

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

43 Comments
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I really can't understand all this weird fetishes from japan. Where they came from anyway? And why?

14 ( +16 / -2 )

Cute.

So they got a search warrant to look for old shoes?

7 ( +12 / -5 )

This guy must be hailed for his attention to fine details and meticulous planning.

He is really one of a kind. Goes out looking for shoes, takes the details of the shoe

goes hunting for a new pair, purchases it and heads back for the switching.

15 ( +15 / -0 )

Hiroaki Katsu, 33, has a strange psychiatric disorder, needs counselling under court supervision.  

This is a waste of police resource. Katsu, high heel hoodlum, pump pirate, must provide the police with the names/location of his thefts/swap outs.

“I wanted to smell the scent of women’s shoes,” he admitted.

That one shoe short of a revolting compulsion disorder.  

Sigmund Freud is his only hope, died 1939.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Actually I would find it quite titillating and honored if someone stole mine to smell. . .especially when they left me a new pair.

Will have to start leaving change in my shoes.

10 ( +15 / -5 )

his sole interest in life maybe (#^.^#)

15 ( +15 / -0 )

Damn. Wish he'd exchanged my old jalopies for new ones. Any contact info?

7 ( +7 / -0 )

The Thief and a Cobbler

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Slightly better than those perverts who steal women’s underwear.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Sad and weird!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Why can't this oddball just sniff bicycle saddles like a normal person?

I foresee a lucrative career as an online shoe matcher. Damaged or lost a shoe? This is your guy. However obscure your footwear, he will find you a replacement.

Although he may be responsible for several blisters, he may not be the only person with this particular fetish. I was once asked to help someone's daughters out with the tech, to sell their worn socks to interested parties. There appears to be more of this about than most of us realised.

Discovering a fetish you have never heard of is a bit like finding a new species of frog in the rainforest. Well worth celebrating.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

All this trouble and costs just for the smell of a shoe, when all he has to do is just go to a used clothing shop and just buy their inventory!!!

7 ( +7 / -0 )

I feel safe, it’s almost impossible to buy my shoe size in Japan!

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Obsession about used shoes is hardly a unique Japanese fetish - elsewhere those guys would simply get a job in a shoe store and be probably very good at their profession. Not suggesting every shoe store clerk is a potential shoe fetishist of course.

But acually replacing the stolen pairs with new ones is kinda nice, innit?

Is stealing-and-replacing-with-brand-new-item theft at all?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Interesting one, on an academic level. I'm sure that psychiatric treatment can be arranged by the judge at his initial hearing, no need to hold him for 23 days and beyond while everybody in the judiciary scratches their heads.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I'm having a hard time understanding the crime here, much less why police are looking to add more charges. It's weird, and he should get a slap on the wrist. But the women all got new shoes identical to their worn-in shoes. He gets the old shoes to sniff. Win-win.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

He can have a pair of my wifes old shoes if he wants to replace them for her.

Save me having to buy new shoes for her every 6 months...

Why didn't he just advertise online for used women's shoes and pay 1000 yen + sending fee.

Would have been cheaper in the long run.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

"'m having a hard time understanding the crime here,"

OK.

A very skilled surgeon with new unknown surgical set of skills.

He bashes you over the head, then applies his magnificent skills on you.

You come out not only prettier but much more intelligent.

A win win.

Enne?

More seriously:

How do you know the women are/were happy with the switch?

Some may would prefer the old stinkers, yer no?

Yes, there was a crime.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Japan seems to be a hot spot for weird criminal activity these days

and they will end up in the eternal hot spot, in this era they say, hopefully alone.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Sorry, this is just a whole new level of weird.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

US base housing is such a huge relief in comparison, never worry about such things.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

He wanted to smell the scent of women’s shoes,” he admitted.

dont leave out his demographic aggregate.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Yes, that’s surely very seldom and quite sick...lol But....The difference is, he is now one of the very few lucky, as he got his fetish and sick wishes fulfilled. No prison, no penalty can take it away again. But you and me, we are only complaining, not even admitting that you or I have similar sick wishes or phantasies in our inner deepest, and will never become that lucky. We’ll just die very clean, with our self-restraints kept and never been really completely lucky.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

You gotta admire the fact that he actually went through the effort of buying a exact replacement and also the correct size of the shoes for the ones he had stolen. That takes time and money. Weird fetish but i have seen worse. Police can't do much because there is no harm done. Probably a fine and a warning to not do it again. Is best he seek some medical help to learn to control his impulses. Fetishes are a thing that is very hard to control.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Clearly he's a cheap shoe fairy...

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Is this really a crime?

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Can someone ask him if he does men? My old Ecco's could use a refreshment...

4 ( +4 / -0 )

William Bjornson

Can someone ask him if he does men? My old Ecco's could use a refreshment...

Does not sound like it, but I am sure there are some other pervs that match your request.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

James

He can have a pair of my wifes old shoes if he wants to replace them for her.

I havent asked, but I am confident my wife would agree too. I can see he did something illegal, but I just dont get why this woman went to the police in the first place. Instant shoe renewal... what is to complain about?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Talk about a fetish that goes to 11.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

13th fairy here, a bit late to the party, but for the women involved it must be creepy and scary that he was able to get close enough to her to smell her, to chose her particular shoes, and get her details. All in complete silence. Some kind of stalking involved. (Not just anyone's shoes off the net or from a recycle shop.)

"What else does this guy know about me, what else is he capable of, and how can that be prevented?"... must be the questions running through these ladies' minds.

On the face of it, the guy got his kicks, and with luck will move on, to add to his collection. If nothing happens to the women, then great, but in their minds, this could be another case of "I asked you for help and you did nothing!"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

But why?

Couldn't he just go to a second hand clothing store and by 10x as many from there for the same price and a lot less effort? weirdo.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Couldn't he just go to a second hand clothing store and by 10x as many from there for the same price and a lot less effort? weirdo.

I think the second hand clothing stores get rid of the smells with anti-bacterial sprays. Seems like the guy wanted a fresh scent.

I guess he could have just asked them, I bet half of those women would have been more than happy to receive a brand new pair of shoes in exchange for a little embarrassment?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

P. Smith

I would not be happy to find someone had stolen anything I own

I would be pretty happy to have some old, smelly stuff I own to be replaced with something new. Just sayin.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

As always, one of a kind weird fetish from Japan. Even police and lawyers are used to these Made in Japan fantasy crimes.

I think lot of women want people like him to get rid of their smelly shoes and buy new ones for them. It'd be hilarious if they protest about releasing him.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

'Arnold Layne...'

0 ( +0 / -0 )

He could have easily posted an ad offering new shoes for free. I am sure he would have had many woman to choose from.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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