Tokyo police arrested Saturday a man suspected of stealing a pure gold tea bowl costing around 10 million yen ($65,000) from a major Tokyo department store earlier in the week.
Masaru Horie, 32, allegedly took the bowl at around 11:40 a.m. on Thursday at a special exhibition and sale event at the Takashimaya department store's Nihombashi branch in central Tokyo, police said.
Horie has admitted to the allegations, police said, telling them he "sold the bowl" at a shop in Tokyo that buys goods from customers for 1.8 million yen.
Security camera footage captured the moment a bespectacled man in a grey sweatshirt and black pants lifted the unsecured plastic case covering the display and put the bowl in a grey backpack.
An employee reported the theft to police at around 12:15 p.m. after realizing the bowl was missing. Investigators believe Horie fled the scene via Tokyo Metro's Tozai Line, traveling from Nihombashi Station to Kiba Station, close to his residence.
On Saturday morning, investigators spotted Horie in the area around Kiba Station wearing clothes that closely resembled those of the man in the security camera footage. He was later apprehended at around 2:30 p.m. in a shopping area near Tokyo Station.
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10 million yen gold bowl stolen from Tokyo department store
