EHIME (TR) – Ehime Prefectural Police have arrested a 20-year-old male resident of Imabari City who allegedly used play money in the purchase of a vehicle from a man earlier this month, reports TV Asahi (Sept. 7).
At around 8:00 p.m. on September 6, Sho Manabe, a part-time delivery employee, allegedly handed the man, 48, an envelope containing 13 fake 10,000-yen notes on a road in Matsuyama City to cover the purchase price of 130,000 yen for a passenger vehicle.
After the the suspect left with the vehicle, the victim opened the envelope and found the bills to be much smaller than legal currency and a fictitious name for the listed bank. He subsequently alerted police.
About four hours later, police arrested Manabe on suspicion of fraud without a warrant. The suspect admits to the allegations.
Manabe and seller became acquainted via the smartphone application Mercari, police said.
