My sofa cushions steal more than that in an average week.

The old adage “crime doesn’t pay” is often used to express how the risk of committing crime will usually outweigh the benefits in the long run. But sometimes its meaning is more literal, like it was on the afternoon of 18 March.

At around 2 p.m. a man in his 50s and woman in her 60s entered a real estate agency in Koto, Tokyo and inquired about purchasing a condominium located nearby. They told the agent they wanted to see how it looked inside, so she invited them to take a quick tour.

The three went over to the building and entered the room. After a quick look around, the man suddenly pulled out a box cutter and demanded, “Hand over the money!”

The agent gave them her wallet and they ran away. Immediately afterward, she hurried to the nearest police box to report the mugging and the stolen wallet which contained a whopping 200 yen (US$1.84).

▼ Koban police boxes are outposts all over cities that make it very convenient to report crimes on the fly or turn in lost items

The agent, who is in her 30s, suffered a cut to her middle finger during the ordeal, but otherwise is in good condition. The same probably can’t be said to the assailants, however, who likely suffered severe hypothermia from the cold water of reality that was thrown on them when they looked inside the wallet.

Readers of the news appreciated the act of instant karma, but some were concerned that an employed middle-aged woman only had 200 yen on her.

“200 yen….”
“They stole her lunch money!”
“The wallet itself was probably worth more.”
“I wish I could have seen the faces of the robbers when they opened the wallet.”
“They can buy a lot of candy with that.”
“Why does she need a wallet to carry around 200 yen?”
“And they have to split that 200 between the two of them. LOL”
“People over 50 committing crimes and people in their 30s with no money. That just about sums up Japan today.”
“Welcome to the cashless era!”

Although Japan was late to the mobile payment game, people here seem to be catching up pretty quickly. Still, it wasn’t clear if this victim had gone digital or simply kept her cash in the office since there was no need to bring it along to check out an empty condo up the street.

While it’s good to know the damages were light in this instance, it’s important to note that these culprits are still at large. They don’t seem like the most well-thought-out pair of bandits though, so hopefully police can apprehend them swiftly.

▼ Judging by this news report, the amount of forensic work going into this case could fill an episode of CSI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-10qclY7oo

Perhaps they’ll make the classic mistake of spending all their ill-gotten fortune at once, so be on the look out for anyone suspiciously flaunting Black Thunder chocolates or Gargari-kun ice bars around the streets of Tokyo.

Source: TV Asahi News, Itai News
Top image: ©SoraNews24
Inset image: Pakutaso
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