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Tokyo man accused of menacing students with doll made of pine needles

Takashi Inaba
Takashi Inaba (TV Asahi)

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 41-year-old man for intimidating students commuting to school near his residence with a doll made of pine needles, reports TV Asahi (Sept. 29).

On September 26 at around 5 a.m., Takeshi Inaba, a 41-year-old resident of Edogawa Ward, allegedly placed the doll, standing about 12 centimeters tall, on a pedestrian bridge near his residence. A note affixed to the doll read, “To all you damn elementary school kids, jump off and die.”

Inaba admits to the allegations. “I did it after becoming irritated by the annoying voices of the children,” the suspect was quoted by the Komatsugawa Police Station.

Police believe Inaba was behind at least 30 similar incidents that have taken place since June of last year in which threatening messages have been found scrawled near a park and railway station.

Inaba became a person of interest for police after the examination of security camera footage taken near the bridge.