TOKYO (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police on Saturday arrested a Yokohama man who likes “the lingering odor of women” for stealing 200 female bicycle seats, reports Sports Nippon (Aug. 24).
Officers from the Yamate Police Station took 35-year-old Joji Kondo into custody on theft charges.
The suspect began stealing the seats, all of which are composed of leather, in January of last year. At the Yamate Police Station, 24 complaints were filed.
“I like saddles that women ride,” Kondo is quoted by police. “I like the smell and texture of leather saddles, which I lick and smell.”
At approximately 4:45 a.m. on Thursday, Kondo is alleged to have stolen three bicycle seats, including one belonging to a 31-year-old housewife, from inside the parking garage of an apartment building in Naka Ward. Officers were led to the suspect through footage from a security camera.
When Kondo was confronted by police in front of his residence, also located in Naka Ward, he was carrying three women’s bicycle seats inside a plastic bag. A subsequent search of the premises revealed another 197 saddles.
Kondo boasted to police that he was able to distinguish one seat owner from another. “I sniff the lingering odor of women,” the suspect is quoted by Nikkan Sports (Aug. 22).
According to police, a similar case occurred in Tochigi Prefecture. “There are guys with a fetish for bicycle seats,” one officer is quoted.