SHIZUOKA (TR) — Police here have arrested a 55-year-old man from Aichi Prefecture over the alleged theft of public safety equipment to sell for scrap, reports TV Asahi (May 4).
Hideki Gonomori, a resident of Toyokawa City, is suspected of stealing a fire hydrant hose nozzle in neighboring Kosai City, Shizuoka Prefecture, last month.
The scheme unraveled when a local scrap metal dealer alerted authorities. According to police, the shop contacted them after Gonomori brought in a suspicious haul of 25 nozzles to sell for cash.
Upon questioning, the suspect fully admitted to the allegations.
Police are now investigating Gonomori’s potential connection to a wider spree of thefts. Between last year and this year, approximately 140 fire hose nozzles have mysteriously vanished in the area.
