TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 79-year-old man caught red-handed stealing a wallet at JR Tokyo Station.
The arrest ends the latest run of a veteran thief known to detectives as “Ticket Machines Hiro,” reports the Sankei Shimbun (Aug. 20).
Kimitoshi Hirose, of no fixed address and unknown occupation, was taken into custody on the morning of August 17 after swiping a wallet at a ticket machine near the Tokaido Shinkansen transfer gates.
Upon his arrest, Hirose admitted to the allegations, telling investigators, “Life is hard, so I stole.”
According to the 3rd Investigative Division, the victim, a 23-year-old man from Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, had briefly placed his wallet down while operating the machine. Hirose allegedly stood next to the young man, using his own bag to conceal his hands as he snatched the wallet—which contained approximately 68,000 yen in cash, a driver’s license, and other cards.
Plainclothes investigators, who were already monitoring the area, witnessed the sleight of hand and apprehended Hirose as he attempted to flee the scene.
Police revealed that Hirose has a long history of similar opportunistic thefts. His repeated offenses targeting distracted travelers have made him a familiar face to detectives, who have referred to him by the moniker “Kenbai no Hiro” (Ticket Machines Hiro) for about a decade.
Investigators are now questioning Hirose to determine if he is connected to a string of similar baggage and wallet thefts reported near ticket machines at Tokyo and Shinagawa stations since late July.
