Police in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, are deploying 3,000 officers to find a suspect who has been on the run for a week.

Junya Hida escaped from the Tondabayashi police station on August 12th by kicking loose an acrylic partition in an interview room. Hida had been indicted for robbery and had also been arrested on suspicion of attempted sexual assault.

Investigators believe the 30-year-old stole a motorcycle soon after his escape and used it to snatch women's bags to obtain cash.

They also found that before his arrest, Hida had lived in rented garages where he brought in a bed and home appliances.

One of the garages is near the site where the motorcycle was stolen.

They say the fugitive may be hiding in someone's garage or an unoccupied house.

Police on Sunday released 8 sketches of what Hida may look like when he wears a cap, glasses and a surgical mask.

People in Osaka are calling on police to capture the fugitive quickly.

A woman says she wants police to find the suspect soon because she is worried that her elementary school child could become the victim of a crime.

A man criticized the police, saying their security measures were lax and they responded too slowly when Hida escaped.

Source: ANNnewsCH