TOKUSHIKMA (TR) – Police here have arrested a 69-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of repeatedly flying a camera-equipped drone to spy on a neighboring couple, reports Mainichi Broadcasting System (June 16).
The suspect, a resident of the town of Itano, is accused of violating the prefectural nuisance prevention ordinance, police said.
According to investigators, the man flew the drone over the property of his neighbors—a husband and wife in their 70s—on seven separate occasions between July of the year before last and December of last year. He allegedly used the aerial device to routinely watch and film the couple.
The high-tech surveillance came to light in January of this year after the victims discovered a drone tangled in the branches of a tree in their garden. They subsequently contacted local authorities to report the incident.
When police analyzed the footage saved on the drone’s camera, they found video clips of the couple going about their daily lives, including hanging laundry and performing other chores in their yard.
Upon his arrest, the suspect remained tight-lipped. “I have nothing to say right now,” he told investigators.
Police are continuing to investigate the man’s motives and the full extent of his stalking behavior.
