From November last year until this January, Nozato Elementary School in Osaka City had been the scene of a string of robberies. In 16 different incidents, up to 235,000 yen (US$2,500) was stolen from the wallets of teachers who worked there.

However, thanks to the efforts of one vigilant teacher, the culprit was finally identified and dealt with on 28 February.

Takashi Honda, the 57-year-old vice principal of Nozato Elementary was relieved of his command last Thursday after evidence revealed he had been the one stealing teachers’ money.

According to the Osaka Board of Education, during lessons Mr. Honda would sneak into the staff lounge and go through the belongings of teachers looking for a score.

So why would a vice-principal, only years away from retirement, risk his livelihood to lift cash from his subordinates?

“I was feeling a lot of stress from failing to get recruited as a public school principal [last October], so I wanted to embarrass the principal of this school whom I didn’t get along with anyway. I never used any of the money.”

And he would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for those meddling teachers!

Mr. Honda was revealed as the thief after one teacher planted a hidden camera in her bag and caught him pinching some cash.

No charges were filed against him. Now his career has ended and he has promised to pay back the four victims twice what he stole in recompense for the mental anguish they endured.

Upon hearing this story, voices from the Internet call for the ex-administrator’s arrest whereas some others suggest slightly more lenient punishments (which seem to be influenced by their own personal problems) such as: “He should have his car destroyed as well as being dismissed.”

Source: Yomiuri