Tokyo: Man suspected of stealing wallets of sleeping Yamanote Line passengers

tokyoreporter.com -- Jan 16

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 41-year-old man who is suspected of stealing the wallets of dozens of sleeping passengers on the Yamanote Line since last year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Jan. 16).

At around 7:15 a.m. on Sunday, Hiroyuki Ozawa, of no known occupation, allegedly used scissors to cut open the coat of a male company worker as he slept on a seat inside a carriage and take his wallet as the train traveled between Yoyogi and Shinjuku stations.

The wallet contained 4,000 yen in cash and bank cards, police said.

Ozawa, who has been accused of theft, has declined to comment on the allegations. “I’ll talk once my lawyer arrives,” he was quoted by .

According to police, the suspect was apprehended by an officer on patrol. Ozawa is currently under investigation for 58 similar incidents that have been reported as taking place on the Yamanote since last September.

Jan 16 (ANNnewsCH) - 男は山手線の電車内で寝ていた男性のコートをはさみで切り、財布を盗んでいました。 小沢広行容疑者(41)は14日午前7時すぎ、東京のJR山手線の代々木駅から新宿駅を走行中の車内で、寝ていた男性(25)のコートをはさみで切り、9万円相当の財布を盗んだ疑いで現行犯逮捕されました。