SAITAMA (TR) – Police in Wako City are hunting a serial burglar responsible for a string of break-ins at four businesses within a mere 150-meter radius, making off with over 1.5 million yen in cash and valuables, reports TV Asahi (June 22).
Security camera footage from one of the targeted hair salons reveals a hooded figure gaining entry through a smashed window. The suspect is seen wielding a flashlight, scouring the darkened room and rummaging through drawers.
The crime spree came to light on Sunday morning along a main road leading to Wako-shi Station. At approximately 8:50 a.m., an employee at a beauty salon called police, reporting, “The glass at our entrance has been shattered.”
Just 15 minutes later, a second emergency call came in from a nearby beauty salon reporting a similarly smashed glass door.
As officers arrived to investigate the two scenes, the scope of the crime quickly expanded. At 9:30 a.m., a local barber shop directly notified the officers, saying, “We’ve been hit too.” Ten minutes later, police were tipped off that a nearby general goods store had also been targeted.
According to police, the burglar stole approximately 1.5 million yen in cash and necklaces from the general store, as well as 5,000 yen in cash from one of the beauty salons.
Police are currently treating the four incidents as a connected serial burglary and are analyzing security footage to track down the suspect.
