In November last year, in Kita Ward, Niigata City, two men of Pakistani nationality were arrested and indicted on suspicion of stealing four car tires with aluminum wheels from a residential property. The police announced that they have now concluded the investigation and submitted an additional 26 related cases to the Niigata District Public Prosecutors Office.
According to the police, the suspects—both Pakistani Nationals, ne claiming to be a company employee (33), and the other unemployed (22)—conspired together and stole four tires with aluminum wheels from the premises of a residence in Kita Ward, Niigata City. They were arrested in November last year on suspicion of theft.
Their crime was uncovered when police spotted a suspicious vehicle loaded with tires and questioned the occupants. Inside, they found multiple tires and batteries.
The two were rearrested in December for stealing two winter tires from a parking lot of an apartment in Kita Ward, and were later formally charged.
Further police investigation revealed that from August to November last year, the two men had stolen tires with wheels and batteries from residential properties and other locations not only in Niigata Prefecture but also in Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, Yamagata, and Tochigi Prefectures. The additional offenses amounted to 26 cases, with a total estimated loss of about ¥1,391,000. The police have submitted these charges to the Niigata District Prosecutors Office.
Additionally, the two men were found to have used false names to sell 26 stolen aluminum wheel tires and about 34 kilograms of batteries to three metal recycling companies in Niigata Prefecture, earning a total of ¥45,493. They have also been referred for prosecution on suspicion of violating the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds.
