The Mandarake shoplifting saga that has kept Japanese netizens on the hook since August 4 has finally drawn to a close. A man from Chiba Prefecture turned himself in on August 18, and is currently under arrest on suspicion of theft.
The incident grabbed the attention of the public when Mandarake threatened to publish a photo of an alleged shoplifter on their website, as captured by security camera footage, unless he turned himself in within a week. The man in question supposedly walked away with a wind-up Tetsujin 28-go toy worth 250,000 yen (about US$2,448).
As the deadline drew near, however, there were reports that the store was surrounded by reporters, making it difficult for the man to go to the store. In the end, the Metropolitan Police Department asked Mandarake to not publish the photo, saying it might interfere with the investigation.
The original incident occurred on the fourth floor of the main Mandarake Nakano store around 5PM JST on August 4.
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