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Tokyo: Man suspected of stealing wallets of sleeping Yamanote Line passengers

the Yamanote Line
Tokyo police have arrested a man, 41, who is suspected of stealing wallets of sleeping passengers on the Yamanote Line (Fuji News Network)

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 41-year-old man who is suspected of stealing the wallets of dozens of sleeping passengers on the Yamanote Line since last year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Jan. 16).

At around 7:15 a.m. on Sunday, Hiroyuki Ozawa, of no known occupation, allegedly used scissors to cut open the coat of a male company worker as he slept on a seat inside a carriage and take his wallet as the train traveled between Yoyogi and Shinjuku stations.

The wallet contained 4,000 yen in cash and bank cards, police said.

Ozawa, who has been accused of theft, has declined to comment on the allegations. “I’ll talk once my lawyer arrives,” he was quoted by .

According to police, the suspect was apprehended by an officer on patrol. Ozawa is currently under investigation for 58 similar incidents that have been reported as taking place on the Yamanote since last September.