YOKOHAMA - A 50-year-old man with short hair has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a wallet and other items from a man who was live-streaming on his smartphone.
The incident occurred in October 2023 in a shopping district in Yokohama, Kanagawa.
The victim, who had been drinking with a friend, started live streaming alone using his smartphone. At one point, he fell asleep, but the live stream continued.
Kōichi Murai (50), along with his accomplices Kazuaki Aoki (47) and Fumiaki Kagewatari (48), were captured red-handed carrying out the theft as went live via the victim's smartphone.
Security camera footage from near the scene shows a man approaching the sleeping victim and then stealing his wallet from his bag. The live stream went on, showing the victim sleeping, unaware of the theft.
Suddenly, the smartphone capturing the live stream was taken, and the thief ran off. Security cameras show the moment the same man who took the wallet also grabbed the smartphone.
The thief then got into a car with his accomplices. Unaware that the live stream was still running, he started talking on the phone with another accomplice.
Thief: "Hello, good work. I just got a 'tuna' with a set of mobile phones..."
"Tuna" is believed to refer to the act of stealing from people who are passed out drunk.
Thief: "There's a bank debit card, and I heard that if it's attached to a phone, you can figure out the PIN..."
Later, the thief met up with the phone call's recipient at a hotel. While the live stream continued, they discussed the contents of the stolen wallet.
Accomplice: "Was there a lot of money?"
Thief: "There's hardly any money. But I tried buying an IQOS at a convenience store with this cash card, and it worked."
Eventually, the thief picked up the smartphone.
Accomplice: "Is this locked? It says something about making a report..."
The live stream abruptly ended.
The victim filed a police report along with the live-streamed footage, leading to the arrest of the three men.
The victim shared his feelings after the arrest of the suspects.
Victim: "I'm relieved that they were caught. I've been on edge, not knowing what to do. I prioritized their arrest over everything else, even though it meant exposing my face on TV and social media. I was in a state of constant anxiety until they were arrested."
The police are investigating the possibility of further crimes committed by the three men.
Source: FNN
