CHIBA (TR) – Police here have arrested two 20-year-old men on suspicion of fraud after they allegedly swapped the price tag on a luxury electric guitar at a second-hand store, reports TV Asahi (Apr. 16).
Vocational school student Shota Nagata and university student Reii Kishimoto are accused of defrauding a recycle shop in Ichihara City last month by purchasing an expensive instrument for a fraction of its actual value.
According to investigators, Nagata invited his friend Kishimoto to carry out the scheme. Seizing a moment when employees were away from the sales floor, the pair allegedly removed a 517,000-yen price tag from a high-end electric guitar on display and replaced it with a 126,500-yen tag taken from a cheaper instrument.
To execute the purchase, Nagata purposely engaged a veteran store clerk in conversation to create a distraction. Meanwhile, Kishimoto carried the targeted guitar to the cash register, where a younger employee failed to notice the glaring price discrepancy.
The transaction was completed for the fraudulent amount, allowing the pair to walk away with a guitar worth nearly 520,000 yen.
Upon their arrest, both suspects fully admitted to the allegations. During questioning, Nagata confessed his motive to the police, stating, “I did it to get money to pay off my student loans.”
Police believe the brazen crime was driven strictly by the prospect of resale for a quick profit, noting that neither of the young men has any experience playing the guitar.
Authorities are currently investigating whether the duo is connected to a string of similar price tag-swapping frauds recently reported across Chiba Prefecture.
