TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a pickpocket who is believed to have targeted school girls wearing headphones as they commuted on crowded trains, reports TBS News (Sept. 27).
At just after 8:00 a.m on Tuesday, Mitsuo Koizumi, a 33-year-old resident of Tachikawa City, allegedly pulled a wallet containing about 10,000 yen in cash from a backpack of a female university student, 18, inside a carriage of the Keio Line as it traveled between Meidaimae and Daitabashi stations.
An officer on patrol witnessed the crime and apprehended Koizumi on the spot. During questioning, the suspect admitted to the allegations, telling police he committed the same crime on multiple occasions.
Since January, there have been 11 reports of girls wearing headphones being targeted by a pickpocket on the Keio Line and JR Chuo Line during the early morning rush hour. Police are investigating whether Koizumi was behind the other crimes.
