TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 22-year-old female Keio University student on suspicion of stealing a customer’s credit card from a locker at the upscale sports facility where she worked, reports Fuji News Network (Aug. 18).
Karen Niizawa, a senior at the prestigious university, was working part-time as a receptionist at a sports club in Shibuya Ward’s affluent Hiroo district. Police allege that in April, Karen Niizawa used a facility master key to open a locker and steal a patron’s credit card, which she then used to fraudulently purchase two cosmetic items worth 14,000 yen.
When transferred to prosecutors on Monday, Karen Niizawa hid her face behind a handkerchief, flashing manicured nails at the press cameras — a stark contrast to prior photos circulated by media showing the young woman smiling brightly and posing.
According to investigators, the master key used in the theft was kept at the second-floor reception desk where Karen Niizawa was the “face” of the facility. The key, which opens the third-floor lockers, was reportedly accessible to any employee.
During police questioning, Niizawa partially denied the theft allegations. “I impulsively used it because I wanted the products,” she told investigators, but insisted, “I found the card in the changing room.”
Neighbors told reporters that Niizawa had lived overseas with her parents and family until a few years ago. She had been working at the sports facility reception for several years.
Police believe the April incident is just the tip of the iceberg. Authorities have confirmed approximately 1 million yen in similar credit card damages reported by other patrons at the facility, and investigators are currently questioning Niizawa regarding her involvement in the remaining thefts.
