TOKYO - A series of thefts at public bathhouses across the Tokyo metropolitan area has been linked to a large organized Chinese theft ring suspected of using hundreds of duplicate locker keys to steal cash and replace credit card IC chips while customers are bathing, leaving victims unaware that their cards have been compromised.
Police have identified a Chinese national surnamed Zhao as a suspect in the investigation. Zhao is suspected of entering a public bathhouse in Chiba Prefecture in September with the intention of stealing valuables. When questioned by police, Zhao reportedly denied knowledge of the alleged activities, saying, "I don't know. I have no idea."
Investigators believe Zhao worked with an 18-year-old Chinese man and other suspects who had already been arrested on suspicion of theft and related offenses. Police discovered approximately 170 duplicate locker keys among the 18-year-old suspect's belongings.
An expert who examined the keys noted that their gold coloring was unusual in Japan and that they appeared to be a type not normally distributed domestically, raising questions about where the keys had been manufactured or obtained.
The thefts have primarily targeted changing rooms at public bathhouses, where surveillance cameras are generally absent for privacy reasons. Police believe members of the group monitored customers as they placed valuables inside lockers before entering the bathing areas.
Once customers left their lockers unattended, the suspects allegedly used their extensive collection of duplicate keys to gain access and steal cash and other valuables.
Investigators have also uncovered a more sophisticated technique involving credit cards. When a card was found inside a locker, the suspects allegedly removed its embedded IC chip and replaced it with a counterfeit chip, leaving the card itself behind.
Because the card remained in the locker and appeared largely unchanged, victims often failed to notice that anything had been stolen, allowing the criminals to use the genuine chips before the thefts were discovered.
Approximately 100 cases involving the replacement of credit card IC chips were reported at 13 public bathhouses between June and September.
Investigators found that the stolen chips had been used to make fraudulent purchases of electronic products and other goods in Hong Kong, the United States, and Europe. The resulting financial losses are estimated at several million yen.
Police suspect the thefts were coordinated by a large Chinese criminal organization operating from a base in Hong Kong, with members repeatedly targeting bathhouses across the greater Tokyo region.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to establish the full scale of the operation, identify other participants, and determine how the group obtained the large number of duplicate locker keys used in the thefts.
Source: TBS
