On 28 November, Osaka Prefectural Police announced the arrest of 65-year-old Kiyomasa Shimabukuro for crimes including theft. According to police, the suspect confessed adding, “I never worked. I lived off stolen money.”
Shimabukuro is currently charged with one theft. On the night of 14 July he allegedly broke into a beauty salon in Shinsaibashi, Osaka. He is believed to have robbed the business of goods and 53,000 yen (US$517) cash. He is currently on trial for the burglary.
However, police are linking Shimabukuro to 82 other thefts of offices and salons totaling 10.6 million yen ($103,475) which occurred from April of 2010 to September of this year. The suspect’s city of residence is unknown and given his reported confession he may be responsible for considerably more robberies.
When the news broken netizens were impressed saying, “65 years and never caught. Even Lupin got caught every once in a while.” However, assuming he wasn’t robbing as an infant, we could probably knock around 15 years off that period. Others suggested he spend the rest of his golden years doing crime prevention consultation.
And of course, the coincidence wasn’t lost on people that the suspect was arrested at exactly the standard age of retirement in Japan. It also leads to the bitter reality that if found guilty, he will cease to live off the hard work of others by stealing and begin officially living off their tax money instead. Not a bad retirement package for that kind of career.
Source: Yomiuri Online, Shunsoku BeforeAfter (Japanese)
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