A 49-year-old man in Tokyo, Japan, has been arrested for allegedly snatching glasses off people’s faces while riding a moped.
Police found 50 pairs of glasses at his home in Shinjuku and are investigating his involvement in similar crimes, Mainichi reported.
The suspect, who has declined to comment on the case, is accused of stealing glasses by approaching a man in his 20s from behind on a road at around 9.15pm on 2 September. He reportedly asked the pedestrian for directions to the nearest station to make him stop, police said, only to steal his glasses.
The victim later reported the theft to police.
Police said they arrested the man, a resident of Shinjuku, a ward in the western part of central Tokyo, in connection with the case.
The occupation of the suspect remains unknown.
People took to social media to comment on the spate of thefts on mopeds. “Today it’s glasses, next week could be mobile phones,” one person wrote. “What’s going on with this worldwide epidemic of thieving (sic) people’s personal possessions.”
Another wrote: “Glasses can be expensive depending on the lens and frames. This fool is causing some regular people problems.”
Japan Today reported that the growing popularity of electric scooters and mopeds has caused an increase in accidents and traffic violations in the country.
In September, the National Police Agency reported 25,156 traffic violations by electric scooter users between July 2023 and June this year. This followed a revision to Japan’s Road Traffic Act in July last year, allowing individuals aged 16 and over to ride electric scooters without a driver’s licence, provided the scooters meet specific standards.
