TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 25-year-old man from Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture over the robbery of a luxury goods store in Shibuya Ward last week, reports TV Asahi (Apr. 29.
According to police, Kaimu Hishinuma, of no known occupation, had been on the run prior to his arrest on suspicion of robbery on Sunday.
“I was in debt and wanted money,” Hishinuma said in admitting to the allegations.
At around 7:00 p.m. on April 23, Hishinuma showed a crowbar to a female store clerk at the luxury goods store, located in Hiroo. After demanding money, he smashed a display case and stole four items before fleeing the scene.
The items — worth about 570,000 yen — include an Hermes bag and its empty box, a Dior cushion and Maison Margiela leather boots.
There were two employees and one customer inside the store at the time. None of them was injured in the incident, police said previously.
“I don’t have any money”
The crime took just one minute.
When Hishinuma entered the store alone, he was alone. He then put his backpack on the counter, took out the crowbar and made the demands for money.
However, the clerk replied, “I don’t have any money.” He then smashed the display case, stole the items and ran away.
After the crime, Hishinuma headed to a coin-parking lot near the store. According to police, Hishinuma had rented a car under his own name and parked it in the lot.
The then suspect fled via the rental car, passing by the brand-name goods store he had just robbed in making his getaway.
The bag and cushion that are believed to have been stolen were taken to another brand-name goods store in Kawasaki.
“It’s frustrating”
Police later seized the suspect’s smartphone and the clothes he had worn at the time of the crime from his home. However, the crowbar has not yet been found.
“It’s frustrating,” the manager of the store told the network last week. “The biggest thing is that it happened in a place like this. I think the area is very safe.”
At this point in the investigation, police do not know why the brand-name goods store in Hiroo was targeted.
Regarding whether the caper was connected to illegal part-time jobs by a group falling under the label tokuryu, which operate online and anonymously.
“There’s no way it was an illegal part-time job. I didn’t have any accomplices,” he said.
Police are investigating the circumstances that led to the incident.
