OSAKA (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a 33-year-old suspected in dozens of burglaries earlier this year in which he dismantled doors in gaining access to businesses, reports TBS News (Nov. 16).
According to police, Tatsuya Yamagata targeted restaurants and other businesses in the southern part of Osaka Prefecture. In entering each business, he used a knife to carve out a wooden area of a door around its knob to open the lock.
“When I went to use the doorknob, there was a hole there, about 10 centimeters in diameter,” an employee of one such business was quoted by the network. “I was stunned.”
In July, Yamagata used such a means to break into a beauty salon in Izumisano City and stole 6,000 yen in cash.
“I stole because I needed money to cover living expenses,” the suspect was quoted by police.
Between May and July, Yamagata is believed to have carried out about 36 such burglaries in which the value of lost property totaled 2 million yen.