TOYAMA (TR) – Toyama Prefectural Police are hunting a serial thief who has targeted the indoor shoes of female high school students — specifically ripping out and stealing their insoles — across at least 14 schools, reports KNB News (Sep. 28).
Since the previous academic year, an astonishing number of schools have been hit by the bizarre crime spree. This academic year alone, at least 35 female students across 13 schools, including Takaoka Minami, Takaoka, and Toyama Minami high schools, have fallen victim to the thefts.
Investigators have noted a chilling pattern: the victims are frequently girls whose names and profiles have been published on the internet due to outstanding performances in club activities or television appearances.
The perpetrator has demonstrated a determined obsession. At Takaoka Minami High School, where about 10 girls were targeted over two days in May and June, firmly glued insoles were forcefully peeled away. At Takaoka High School, where four girls were victimized, the thief violently ripped out insoles that had been securely sewn into the footwear.
Over the weekend
Because students typically discover the thefts when they open their shoe lockers on Monday mornings, police believe the culprit is infiltrating the campuses over the weekend.
“When I went to school and opened my shoe locker, the insoles from both shoes had been stolen,” one targeted student told reporters after discovering the theft on a Saturday morning.
“At first, I was just shocked. But as time passed, the thought that a complete stranger targeted my specific locker, opened it, and stole them made me sick,” she said. “It could be an outsider, a student, or maybe even a teacher. It’s truly terrifying.”
Psychological toll
The psychological toll has prompted the girl to carry her indoor shoes home every day, too afraid to leave them on campus. At least two other girls at her school were also targeted.
Police are currently analyzing security camera footage from multiple campuses in an attempt to identify the suspect.
Tatsuyuki Narumi, former head of the First Investigation Division of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police, analyzed the perpetrator’s profile, suggesting the crimes are the work of a lone outsider escalating his behavior.
“I believe this is the work of a single individual. In my experience, criminals with this kind of special fetish do not form partnerships to commit crimes,” Narumi said. “It’s possible they have grown accustomed to the act. At first, they may have been fearful, but because they haven’t been caught, they are becoming bolder.”
“Specific fetish”
Narumi also dismissed the idea that the thief is a student or teacher from one of the affected schools.
“If it were an insider, they would be taking on massive risks by traveling to other schools. An insider knows where the cameras and blind spots are at their own school, but they wouldn’t risk going to another campus just to steal insoles,” he explained.
“Because this is a theft driven by a specific fetish, police should check past records for similar incidents and, if there are known offenders, investigate what they are doing now,” Narumi advised.
