WAKAYAMA (TR) – A male manager of a financial institution in the town of Kushimoto has been arrested on suspicion of embezzling more than 100 million yen in cash, reports TBS News (Sep. 20).
The suspect arrested on suspicion of embezzlement in the course of business is manager of
Between September 12 and 16, Hiroshi Nitta, the 44-year-old manager of the Kushimoto branch of the Nagisa Shinkin Fisheries Cooperative Association, allegedly took 106 million yen from the branch’s safe.
Nitta turned himself in to Shinjuku Police Station in Tokyo at around 1:30 a.m. on Friday and was arrested. He did not have the 106 million yen on him upon his surrender.
During police questioning, he admitted to the charges. “I used it to pay off personal debts,” he said.
On September 16, a female assistant manager reported that the cash was missing from the safe. A note believed to have been written by Nitta was left behind. It read, “I’m sorry for betraying you.”
Kushimoto is a fishing town. The financial institution is closely connected to the local community and is used by net owners and fishermen.
Nitta became the manager of the Kushimoto branch five years ago. He was transferred from another city.
The safe had a combination and key. It was managed by Nitta. When Nitta failed to show up for work on the morning of September 16, the female assistant opened the safe and discovered that the cash was missing.
A person who knows Nitta tells TV Asahi (Sep. 20), “I was shocked. He’s such a nice guy. It’s so typical of him to leave a note, and I feel sorry for him. The normal thing to do would be to just walk away without saying anything.”
Nitta reportedly worked as usual on September 12. The branch’s counter was open until 3:00 p.m. that day and was closed from the weekend through Respect for the Aged Day on September 15.
One fisherman told the network, “That was money I worked so hard for.”
Those who know Nitta unanimously agree that he lived a modest lifestyle, living in a house with a rent of 20,000 yen.
“He wasn’t flashy at all,” one local resident says. “He always wore the kind of pants and white shirt a salaryman would wear.”
A neighbor who rented him his parking space saw him just before he disappeared. “I saw him park his car here and walk away. It was around 3 or 4 p.m. [on September 12],” the neighbor says.
Nitta reportedly did not have a washing machine at home. On weekends, he returns to Wakayama City, where his mother lives.
“I’ve never heard of him spending money strangely, and I’ve never seen him behaving like that,” his mother says. “I can’t believe it.”
The whereabouts of the 106 million yen are unknown. Police also do not know why Nitta fled to Tokyo.
