IBARAKI (TR) – Police here have arrested a 50-year-old man for allegedly stealing a luxury car straight out of a police station parking lot where it was being held as criminal evidence.
According to police, Takeshi Ito, a resident of Mito City, has suggested during questioning that he carried out the original theft that resulted in the vehicle being kept in the lot, reports Nippon News Network (Apr. 30).
In the latest crime, police allege Ito swiped the vehicle from the premises of the Mito Police Station on February 25.
During questioning, the suspect admitted to the allegations.
At the time, the luxury vehicle was the central piece of evidence in another theft investigation, having been previously stolen from a company parking lot in Mito — and, it seems, Ito was behind that caper also.
Afterward, the vehicle was later found with its license plates replaced. Police then seized the car and kept it as evidence.
In carrying out the second theft, the suspect is believed he used the keys he had at the time of the original pilfering. Police believe he committed the crime to recover the vehicle.
In a major security blunder for the local force, the vehicle had been left in a parking area that lacked a locked gate. Officers had simply placed wheel chocks on the tires and covered the car with a blue tarp.
Following the embarrassing breach, the police station announced it is reviewing its security protocols and considering new measures to prevent a recurrence.
Ito is no stranger to grand theft auto. He was previously arrested and indicted for stealing a separate luxury car in the city on February 23, just two days before targeting the police station lot.
