OSAKA (TR) – He thought the crime would go undetected, but he was wrong.
Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a 73-year-old man over the alleged theft of 15 million yen in cash from the safety deposit box of a relative, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Feb. 19).
In September 2017, Koichi Yoshihara allegedly stole the cash from the box, which was inside a bank in Osaka City. That December, he inserted 1,468 counterfeit 10,000-yen notes in place of the real cash.
Upon his arrest, Yoshihara admitted to the allegations. “I used counterfeit notes so that nobody would know what I stole [the real money],” the suspect told police.
Yoshihara lives in Hino City, Tokyo. The safety deposit box belongs to a female relative in her 80s for whom the suspect serves as a legal representative.
Last November, the counterfeit notes were found after a bank employee opened the box at the request of the woman.
Yoshihara surfaced as a person of interest in in the case since he had access to the box due his legal representation of the woman.
Police are now investigating how Yoshihara obtained the counterfeit notes.
