HOKKAIDO (TR) – Police have arrested a 34-year-old unemployed man for allegedly using a crowbar to pry open a change machine at a Sapporo City coin-operated laundry outlet and making off with approximately 190,000 yen in cash, reports TV Asahi (July 1).
Security camera footage from the laundromat captured the brazen four-minute heist last November. The suspect, dressed in a black hoodie with the hood pulled up, is seen entering the premises carrying a large bag. However, instead of pulling out dirty clothes, the man retrieved a crowbar.
The footage shows the suspect violently prying open the doors of the change machine. He then ripped out the entire internal cash receptacle, shoved it into his bag, and fled the scene.
Following his arrest on suspicion of theft, Masahiro Yahara admitted to the allegations.
“There is no doubt that I am the one who did it,” Yahara told investigators.
The arrest follows reports of similar burglaries at another coin laundry in the area over two consecutive days, during which both a change machine and a ticket vending machine were destroyed and emptied of cash. Police are currently investigating Yahara’s potential involvement in the related crimes.
