TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male Chinese national suspected in a string of thefts that have taken place near railway stations in the metropolis since last year, reports Fuji News Network (Dec. 9).
Hu Wangyu, a 30-year-old resident of Setagaya Ward, and two other persons have been accused in the theft of a backpack from a male lecturer, 57, near the ticket gate of JR Harajuku Station in Shibuya Ward in October.
According to police, the backpack contained a bag with a credit card that was used by the suspects over a 46-minute period to buy three necklaces, a Hermes belt and other items with a total value of nearly two million yen from three shops.
Hu, who has been charged with theft and fraud, partially denies the allegations. “I used the credit card but I didn’t know it was stolen,” the suspect is quoted by police, according to NHK (Dec. 9).
Based on the examination of security camera footage, police suspect the trio has carried out similar crimes near crowded train stations in the metropolis on numerous occasions since 2015.
