YAMANASHI (TR) – Police have arrested an unemployed, homeless mother and daughter for allegedly skipping out on a hotel bill exceeding 310,000 yen last year, reports TBS Yamanashi TV (May 22).
According to police, Miho Sakagawa, 54, and her daughter Ayano, 25, are pointing the finger at each other to avoid the blame.
From November 10 to 22, the suspects are accused of defrauding the hotel in Fuefuki City. According to police, the pair racked up 311,430 yen in room charges, alcohol and food, before leaving without paying.
While both suspects admit to staying at the hotel, they have vehemently denied the fraud charges by offering conflicting excuses.
Miho told investigators, “My daughter told me that the president of her former company had paid for it.” However, Ayano contradicted this claim, telling police, “I heard my mother paid it later.”
During their 12-day stay, hotel management had asked the women to settle their tab. The pair allegedly brushed off the request, claiming, “We will pay properly at a later date.” Upon checking out, they boldly presented their identification cards to staff and promised, “We will come back to pay.”
The suspects appear to have a history of serial dine-and-dash tactics. Just weeks prior, on November 3, the mother and daughter were arrested in neighboring Shizuoka Prefecture on identical fraud charges.
Police are continuing to investigate the pair’s history to determine if they have victimized other establishments.
