TOKYO (TR) — Police have arrested a 46-year-old cram school instructor on suspicion of trespassing into a young woman’s apartment in the capital to steal her underwear after tracking her down through discarded trash, reports TV Asahi (Apr. 14).
Kohei Yamamoto, an instructor at a major cram school residing in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, is accused of breaking into the Kita Ward residence of a woman in her 20s in December of last year.
“I broke in because I wanted women’s underwear,” Yamamoto reportedly told investigators.
According to police, the suspect’s obsession began when he found discarded women’s underwear in the apartment building’s garbage collection area. Desperate to identify the owner, he rummaged through the trash bags until he discovered a delivery slip that led him directly to the victim’s unit.
Yamamoto admitted to persistently stalking the location. He said, “I would take receipts, delivery slips and even photos if they were there. I visited the apartment building about once a week on average.”
Police revealed that Yamamoto regularly traveled by local train from his home in Kanagawa to the victim’s apartment, a commute that took approximately two hours.
The investigation was triggered by a separate incident in February, for which Yamamoto has already been indicted. A subsequent search of his smartphone uncovered video footage taken from inside the victim’s apartment.
Authorities are now investigating his involvement in additional crimes after discovering the personal information of multiple women stored on his confiscated computer.
