TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into suspected illegal dumping after 161 mobile power banks were recovered from the Kanda River in Nakano Ward, reports Fuji News Network (Aug. 21).
The incident came to light about a week ago when authorities received a report that a “massive amount of mobile batteries” was floating downstream through a quiet residential neighborhood.
On the morning of August 21, Nakano Ward officials and representatives from a mobile battery company waded into the water to conduct a joint recovery operation. Over the course of about an hour and a half, crews retrieved a total of 161 dirty and discolored power banks from the riverbed.
Investigators noted that all of the discarded devices belonged to the exact same manufacturer.
Observing the submerged electronics prior to their removal, a local resident remarked, “Isn’t that them? They look like the ones you always see at convenience stores.”
In response to the mass disposal, the company operating the battery service released a statement, saying, “We are cooperating with the police and relevant authorities to investigate the facts of this matter.”
Police are currently treating the incident as a case of illegal dumping and are working to track down who is responsible for discarding the hazardous electronics into the waterway.
