Interest

Man Arrested for Multiple Robberies Said His Toy Gun Was to Honor Lupin the 3rd

Police officers in Tokyo arrested a 40-year-old man on September 10 who they believe to be responsible for multiple convenience store robberies. The suspect allegedly used a toy Walther P38 in order to obtain cash from three convenience stores and the toy was visible in security footage obtained by police.

When police arrived to make the arrest on Tuesday, they encountered the suspect named Masafumi Hijikata. Hijikata was in a possession of the Walther P38 toy gun but denied committing the robberies, instead stating that he carried it around as a token for his fondness of the anime thief Lupin the 3rd, according to Sankei Shimbun.

The first robbery took place at 4 a.m. on September 8 at a FamilyMart in the Asagaya, Tokyo. The robber fled the scene on a bicycle with 98,000 yen (US$900) in stolen cash. The male clerk told police that the robber had a gun and told the clerk it was a Walther P38. The robber is then believed to have entered a second convenience store, this time a LAWSON location in Suginama ward, approximately five minutes later. After robbing the LAWSON store, the suspect allegedly robbed a FamilyMart in Shinjuku.

Hijikata was reported to police before dawn on September 10 after being spotted by one of the clerks that were robbed. The clerk stated that Hijikata resembled the suspect.

Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news tip

Source: The Sankei Shimbun