Man Uses Unusual Method in Subway Incident Before Breaking into Woman’s Home

Even with the latest security systems, this unprecedented trick was unexpected.

On September 18, 27-year-old Nobutsugu Yanagihara, a company employee from Suita City, Osaka Prefecture, was arrested by the Osaka Prefectural Police for suspected breaking and entering into the apartment of a woman living in a one-room apartment in Osaka Prefecture. Yanagihara is suspected of breaking into the homes of three women living in the same apartment building from May to August of this year.

“The women’s front doors were equipped with touch panel electronic keys, but Yanagihara was able to decode the four-digit passcode from fingerprints left on the touch panel. He was looking for rooms with clear fingerprint marks on the touch panel and checked the gender of the residents from mail left in the mailbox.

Once he confirmed that the resident was female, he would check the lights in the room from outside, ring the intercom to verify whether the resident was home, and then break in. The touch panel would lock out input for three minutes after five incorrect attempts. Despite this, he showed persistence, returning later to try again after making five mistakes,” reported a journalist from a national newspaper’s social affairs department.

Yanagihara lived in the same apartment building as the victims and was familiar with the security system, which allowed him to carry out his method. Three women were victimized: one in her 30s and two in their 20s. However, the crimes were finally exposed in late August.

The crime was committed with a playful sense of humor.

“When he tried to unlock the door with the electronic key as usual, a U-lock was engaged from the inside. The woman was home and reported to the police that ‘the intercom rang, and someone tried to open the door.’ This is how the incident came to light,” said the source.

In response to police questioning, Yanagihara reportedly stated, “I was guessing the passcode for fun. I was interested in the lives of women living alone.”

“Numerous images of the interior of the women’s apartments, including the entrance and shoes, were found on Yanagihara’s seized smartphone. So far, no theft has been confirmed, but it raises the question of what he was doing inside the rooms… Separately, in early September, it was discovered that Yanagihara had sprayed body fluids on a woman’s skirt on a subway escalator in Osaka City. He was also arrested for this incident,” said an investigator.

With Yanagihara’s arrest, we hope that peace will return to the lives of the victimized women.