CHIBA (TR) – A former post office worker is suspected of embezzling more than 80 million yen from customers’ accounts to cover losses from trading currencies, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Apr. 10).
On Monday, Chiba Prefectural Police arrested Akihiko Suzuki, 39, who used to handle insurance at a post office in Mobara City, in the alleged embezzlement of around 13 million yen from the accounts of two women, aged in their 60s and 70s, between November 2014 and January 2015.
Suzuki, who was dismissed in February 2016, has admitted to the charges. “I used the money to cover my losses from forex trading,” the suspect is quoted by police.
According to Nippon News Network (Apr. 10), Suzuki allegedly hid his embezzlement through such actions as using abrasive erasers to rub out figures in customers’ bankbooks and handing them 1,000 yen, claiming the money was “interest.”
The suspect is likely responsible for embezzling around 82 million yen from a total of 10 persons, police said.
