Society

Man pretending to clean and cut seafood arrested for stealing fish

Jun 30 (Japan Today) - A 41-year-old man has been arrested after carrying out an unusual technique to steal fresh fish from a store in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture.

According to police, the suspect was first spotted suspiciously walking around the fish market in Nada Ward with his bicycle in tow at midnight on June 12, Fuji TV reported. Roughly an hour later, he was seen exiting the premises with a bag that was not previously seen upon his initial arrival.

Norihiko Yonekura, a part-time worker, was arrested on suspicion of stealing 20 pieces of seafoodâ€”including one live sea bream and grouper (worth 200,000 yen) and 15 prawns (worth about 13,000 yen)â€”the following morning (June 13) from a store at the fish market.

Furthermore, police said that on May 11, video surveillance cameras at the same market showed footage of a man walking on the premises late at night carrying several bags.

Police said that Yonekura, who has admitted to the charge, managed to steal fresh seafood by pretending to be cutting and cleaning it. During a search of Yonekuraâ€™s residence, parts of the fish were found in his refrigerator.

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