Story By: John Feng, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

These images show 159 bicycle seats allegedly stolen by a serial thief after his own bike saddle was nicked and he wanted others to “know the feeling”.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police in the Japanese capital have announced the arrest of suspect Akio Hatori, 61, who they identified as the likely culprit in August.

Hatori was charged with stealing one bicycle seat worth 1,000 JPY (7.5 GBP), but officers who raided his home were stunned to discover no fewer than 159 suspected stolen leather saddles in the residence.

They are the result of an alleged seat-nicking spree in Tokyo’s Ota Ward, with many of the bicycle owners not believed to have reported the minor crimes.

The authorities said they identified Hatori as the possible culprit on 29th August when closed-circuit television cameras captured him pedalling away on his own bicycle while carrying a number of leather saddles in the front basket.

Hatori confessed to stealing the seats, but told investigators he did so out of “revenge”, Tokyo police announced today (4th October).

The suspect was quoted as saying: “I had to buy another bicycle seat after mine was stolen in the summer of 2018.

“After that I started stealing out of revenge. I wanted others to know the feeling.”

A date for Hatori’s trial has yet to be announced.

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