TOCHIGI (TR) – Two Thai men have been arrested for stealing copper cables from solar power plants in Nasu-Shiobara City last year.
The theft is part of a surge in thefts of metals nationwide, police said, reports Fuji News Network (Feb. 20)
On February 20, police accused the two male Thai nationals of stealing 432 meters of copper cables worth approximately 2.7 million yen from four solar power plants.
The theft took place last July 12. At 4:42 a.m., a person on their way to work came across a group of men dressed in black clothing cutting copper cables.
In video footage shot by the passerby, one of the suspects uses a large cutting tool to trim the cables on a road as the other members of the group collect the pieces and pile them into a car.
After receiving a call from the passerby, police officers found the car with the assistance of its license plate number and other information. At that time, police arrested two other suspects. The latest arrests bring the total in the case to four.
Police are investigating the possibility that the suspects may have committed dozens of other crimes.
Number of thefts exceeded 20,000 for the first time last year
According to police, the number of metal thefts has increased by a factor of four over the past five years. In 2024, the number of thefts exceeded 20,000 for the first time.
Also on February 20, police accused the 37-year-old Chinese president of a recycling company of knowingly purchasing stolen copper cables.
As a result of the growing problem, a panel of experts from the National Police Agency is calling for stricter identity verification procedures for metal purchases and the introduction of a notification system for buyers.
