TOKYO (TR) – To be filed under: calculated risk.
The arrest of a 31-year-old man for theft from a post office in Shibuya Ward where he worked earlier this year was facilitated by his desire to claim the government’s special cash payment, reports Fuji News Network (June 4).
Kenichi Yoshida allegedly took 77,000 yen in cash from a change machine at the Yoyogi Post Office on March 1.
After it was learned that his identification card was used in the crime, he became a person of interest I. the case. However, his whereabouts had become unknown.
Yoshida lived by moving from one internet cafe to another. But after the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on April 17 announced the distribution of special cash payments of 100,000 yen to all residents due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, he registered his address in Shinjuku Ward in order to collect.
Police then used that information to arrest him on suspicion of theft. “Even if I am incarcerated, I can still receive the benefits, right?” he wondered upon his apprehension by police.
The answer appears to be yes. A suspect can have their lawyer or agent submit the application on their behalf, according to the network.
Additionally, applications can also be filed from detention centers, and many detainees have already submitted them, including from the Tokyo Detention House in Katsushika Ward, the network said.
