TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested two Chilean nationals accused of stealing four luxury watches worth approximately 200 million yen during a brazen daytime smash-and-grab at a watch shop in Nakano Ward, reports Zakzak (Aug. 28).
The suspects, identified as Jeremy Paolo Pina Guzman, 23, and Boris Alexis Manzano Quezada, 33, were taken into custody on August 27 by the department’s Third Investigation Division on suspicion of theft.
According to police, the heist took place at around 11:50 a.m. on August 25. In broad daylight, the two men stormed a high-end watch shop in the Nakano Broadway complex, shattered a display case with a hammer, and snatched four luxury timepieces.
Following the theft, the pair fled the scene separately, with one suspect notably making his getaway on an electric kickboard. Investigators meticulously traced their escape route using security camera footage, which showed the duo traveling from Tokyo to Osaka. Officers eventually cornered and apprehended them while they were hiding out in an Osaka minpaku (private lodging facility).
Larger criminal network
The swift and highly targeted nature of the robbery has raised suspicions of a larger criminal network. Because the suspects carried out the flawless heist just four days after entering Japan, focusing entirely on specific high-value items, speculation is mounting that an organized crime syndicate or a local “mastermind” orchestrated the plot.
The incident has sparked fierce debate and anxiety online regarding Japan’s border controls and national security. While many praised the police for their speedy arrests, social media platforms have been flooded with angry comments warning that Japan’s reputation for safety has made it a “thief’s paradise” for foreign criminals.
The arrest of the Chilean nationals also struck a nostalgic nerve for some, reviving bitter memories of Anita Alvarado, a Chilean woman who became infamous in Japan during the early 2000s for her involvement in a massive, multi-million-dollar embezzlement scandal originating in Aomori Prefecture.
Police are continuing their investigation to determine if a larger organization was pulling the strings behind the Nakano Broadway heist.
