Large amount of cheap lingerie pilfered.

By most metrics, crime levels are very low in Japan. Unfortunately though, panty theft isn’t unheard of, and so ordinarily someone getting arrested for stealing panties wouldn’t be all that noteworthy in and of itself.

However, an incident that took place in Nagoya was anything but ordinary, even by Japanese panty theft standards. Last week, the police arrested 25-year-old Koki Mori for breaking into a home in Moriyama Ward, the same part of the city in which Mori lives. After gaining entry, Mori made off with 34 pairs of panties.

One might expect that Mori’s crime was the result of his infatuation with a woman who lived in the house, but according to police reports the sole occupant of the home is a 37-year-old man. In another unexpected twist, Mori’s accomplice in pulling off the panty raid, who has also been arrested, is a woman in her 20s.

The burglary happened back in November, but it wasn’t until last week that investigators arrested Mori and his partner in crime. “There is no mistake that I entered the home and stole panties and other items,” said Mori, and a search of his home turned up some 170 stolen items. It’s unclear whether Mori knew that there was a treasure trove of panties inside the man’s house (either for his personal use, decorative purposes, or perhaps for guests), or if he’d already decided to rob the place and just happened to come across, and decide to snag, a few dozen pairs of panties during the heist.

Ostensibly, the panties will be returned to their rightful owner once they’re no longer needed as evidence in the case. It’s likely, though, that after several months in the thief’s possession, the owner would rather just replace the lingerie, especially since, according to police estimates, the total market value of the 34 pairs of panties is a mere 4,500 yen (US$43).

Source: Tokai TV via Yahoo! News Japan via Jin
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