Tokyo police said Tuesday they had arrested four people from Aichi Prefecture, including a 42-year-old unemployed man from Nagoya's Moriyama Ward, on suspicion of theft and trespassing after tobacco was stolen from a luxury condominium in the capital.
The Metropolitan Police Department's investigative division 3 said the four are suspected of entering a third-floor unit in Shibuya Ward between 1:40 a.m. and 1:50 a.m. on May 20. They are accused of stealing two items, including heated tobacco, worth about 1,100 yen. Police have not disclosed whether they admit or deny the charges.
Since spring 2026, thefts by groups traveling from Aichi Prefecture to Tokyo have been reported one after another. The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating links between the cases.
Security camera footage and a stolen car
The four emerged from an investigation of security camera footage, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. The white passenger car used in the Shibuya incident had been stolen and was later found in a parking lot in Aichi Prefecture.
Multiple photographs of houses and luxury cars believed to have been theft targets were found on smartphones belonging to some of the suspects.
Cars from Aichi Prefecture are also believed to have been used in thefts from safe deposit boxes in Hachioji and Chuo Ward since April.