50-Year-Old Gangster Steals 172 Rolex Watches in 3 Minutes, Causing 280 Million Yen in Losses

Committed the crime in only 3 minutes

It was a lightning-fast operation.

By October 16, the Investigation Section 3 of the Osaka Prefectural Police arrested Shinya Onishi, 52, a member of the Yamaguchigumi gang, and three others for stealing a light wagon car loaded with 172 luxury Rolex watches (worth 280 million yen) on a street in Chuo-ku, Osaka City.

At around 8:45 a.m. on May 21 this year, a delivery driver was on his way to deliver a Rolex to an authorized Rolex distributor when he parked his car on the street to make another delivery. Just three minutes after the driver left the car, one of the suspects got into a light wagon car, took the entire car, and fled. The engine key of the light wagon car was still on. The driver did not lock the doors.

About nine hours after the incident, the light wagon was found abandoned on a street in Naniwa Ward, Osaka City, about 2 km from the scene. Five silver duralumin cases containing 172 Rolex watches were missing.

The suspects also drove to the scene of the crime and fled in two vehicles, including the light wagon they had taken. It is believed that they transferred the duralumin cases to their own car and abandoned the light wagon car. A nearby security camera showed men other than Onishi and the other suspects who were arrested. That was the leader of the group, Toru Murata, 52, a suspect of unknown occupation. Murata was immediately placed on the wanted list and turned himself in later that day.

Newly Arrested Directing Officer Also Arrested

The stolen light wagon belonged to a company entrusted by Rolex Japan to make deliveries. The victim, a female driver in her 60s, had been in charge of deliveries in the area where the incident occurred for some time, and on the day of the theft, she was making a delivery alone as usual. A source close to the investigation said.

The light wagon in question was an ordinary car, not recognizable at first glance as a delivery vehicle. No one would expect to find a Rolex worth 280 million yen in such a car. Beforehand, the driver of the light wagon with the license plate number “XX” delivers a large quantity of Rolexes using a specific route at a certain time of the day. The driver is a woman who also makes other deliveries and leaves the car with the keys in her hand.

The crime lasted only about three minutes. On October 21, Kenji Morikita, 55, and Akihiko Ozaki, 39, were arrested for their role in the crime. Most of the stolen Rolexes have yet to be found.