One of the gangsters reportedly admitted, “I have never met anyone as tough as those deliverymen.”
On 12 June, a pair of Sagawa Express couriers was making a delivery at an office complex in Tokyo’s Arakawa Ward. On the day before, the office’s tenants had placed an order for an 860,000 yen (US$8,200) Rolex watch and opted to pay by COD – a surprisingly available option for such a high-priced item.
▼ The exact type of Rolex was not reported but here are a couple in the price range
Nevertheless, the Sagawa couriers dutifully arrived at the watch’s destination. However, after entering the office they found themselves in the middle of some kind of serious internal turmoil between two middle-aged yakuza members who were angrily waving guns at each other.
According to police, one of the gang members, Kazutoshi Oba, took the watch but continued to point his gun at his counterpart, Yusuke Kodama. Kodama then shouted threateningly toward the deliverymen, “We’re in the middle of something. Go home!”
They complied but not before taking both the watch and the men’s guns with them. It would seem that one or both of the couriers had caught on to the scam that was in progress. Oba and Kodama were allegedly pretending to be feuding yakuza, using toy guns to scare off the Sagawa workers and avoid paying the COD charge.
▼ Sure it sounds ridiculous, but in their defense many toy guns in Japan are extremely detailed
While the couriers contacted the police, the two make-believe gangsters made a run for it, but the authorities were finally able to make an arrest on 27 October.
In an interesting twist, according to police, the two men who were pretending to be yakuza actually were yakuza members of a Matsubakai affiliated gang. During the interrogation, Oba told police, “I have never met anyone as tough as those deliverymen.”
Meanwhile, Kodama is said to be denying the charges, telling authorities plainly, “Oba did it.”
This following part is purely speculation but I think I get why these thugs were apparently so easily subdued by a couple of couriers. In reports about this incident articles didn’t use the word “delivery person” for both Sagawa employees. Instead they mentioned one “courier” and a “coworker.”
These businesses probably know their clientele well, including the ways unsavory people may operate. Also, given the value of the delivery, Sagawa probably sent their own security personnel to protect the courier. Such a person would be able to spot fake guns and also know how to seize them.
Again this was not reported, but it seems to make sense in light of Oda’s fearful comment. So, take his warning seriously and don’t mess with Sagawa Express – no one is tougher.
Source: Asahi Shimbun, TBS, My Game News Flash
Top image: Facebook/ Sagawa Express, Amazon 1, 2 (edited by RocketNews24)