TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 37-year-old man over a bag-snatching incident that seriously injured a woman in Shibuya Ward, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Aug. 15).
Around 11:30 p.m. on August 4, Koji Shiokawa, a company employee, came up up from behind the woman, aged in her 30s, as she commuted home on a road in the Honmachi area and covered her mouth.
As Shiokawa grabbed her shoulder bag, he pulled her to the ground. However, he fled the scene empty-handed.
The woman suffered serious injuries, including a broken tooth, that are expected to require six months to heal, the Yoyogi Police Station said.
Shiokawa, who has been accused of robbery resulting in injury, has declined to comment on the allegations, police said.
Prior to the incident, Shiokawa followed the woman over a distance of 500 meters after she exited Hatagaya Station.
Police are now investigating whether the suspect attempted to sexually assault the woman in the incident.
