TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a notorious pickpocket who targets high school girls, reports Sankei Sports (June 30).
At around 8:00 a.m. on Friday, Ryo Ito, a 39-year-old male garbage collector, allegedly stole a wallet containing 300 yen from the backpack of a second-year high school girl (16) inside a carriage of the JR Tokaido Line as it traveled between Oimachi and Shinagawa stations.
Ito, who has been accused of theft, admits to the allegations. “It is my inclination,” the suspect was quoted by police in speaking about high school girls being his target.
This tendency is well-known within law enforcement circles, so much so that he known as “High School Girl Ryo.”
According to police, Ito was spotted by an officer on patrol at Oimachi Station. The officer then followed the suspect right up until the crime took place.