Press "Enter" to skip to content

Yamanote Line cleaner not prosecuted for swiping lost bag containing ¥2.8 million

TOKYO (TR) – Prosecutors have announced the non-prosecution of a male cleaner for the JR Yamanote Line over the alleged theft of a lost bag containing nearly 3 million yen earlier this year, reports Fuji News Network (Oct. 2).

At around 12:55 a.m. on July 11, Hajime Ogura, 61, allegedly did not report the bag after finding it atop a seat inside a carriage of a train taken out of service at a yard in Toshima Ward.

The bag, belonging to a male company employee in his 30s, contained about 2.8 million yen, the Ikebukuro Police Station said previously.

Upon his arrest in September, Ogura, who was accused of misappropriating a lost item, admitted to the allegations. “I wanted to cover living expenses and repay debt,” the suspect was quoted by police.

Hajime Ogura (Twitter)

On Monday, prosecutors announced the non-prosecution of Ogura. No reason for the non-prosecution was given.

The owner of the bag told police that the money in the bag was for paying the salaries the part-time workers at this office.

Ogura surfaced as a person of interest after an examination of security camera footage, police said previously.