TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested two men suspected in nearly 1,000 burglaries in the Kanto area this year, reports TBS News (Sept. 26).
In July, Masakazu Miyashita, a 49-year-old industrial painter, and Katsuaki Kudo, a 44-year-old part-time employee, allegedly gained access to a jewelry store in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture by smashing a window of a door with a crowbar in the theft of cash, rings and a safe valued at 400,000 yen.
Miyashita and Kudo surfaced as persons of interest for the police after an examination of security camera footage taken near the crime scene.
The suspects, both residents of Yokohama, admit to the allegations, according to the Harajuku Police Station. Two accomplices have also been arrested in the case.
Since January, the suspects are believed to have been behind 975 similar break-ins in Tokyo, Kanagawa and other neighboring prefectures with the value of stolen property exceeding 300 million yen.
The suspects targeted businesses at night or on holidays to ensure no persons were present inside, police said.