Ex-MUFG Bank Employee Held over Gold Bullion Theft, Allegedly Stole ¥260 Million Worth from Safe Deposit Vault

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:06 JST, January 15, 2025

A former MUFG Bank employee has been arrested on suspicion of stealing 20 kilograms of gold bullion worth about ¥260 million from safe deposit boxes at the bank.

The Metropolitan Police Department suspects that Yukari Imamura, 46, from Nerima Ward, Tokyo, repeatedly stole money and goods from safe deposit boxes and used them for investments, including FX trading. The total amount of the damage is thought to be about ¥1.7 billion, involving more than 60 victims.

Around September last year, Imamura allegedly stole 20 kilograms of gold bullion that two male customers had put in the safety deposit box vault at MUFG’s Nerima Branch. At the time, Imamura was in charge of managing the deposit boxes there, and she has admitted to the allegations.

Imamura used the gold bullion at seven pawn shops in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture to borrow about ¥170 million in cash.

Investigative sources said Imamura’s smartphone contained photos of the gold bars and other items from safety deposit boxes.

Imamura became obsessed with horse racing from around 2008 and applied in 2013 to the Tokyo District Court for bankruptcy rehabilitation, which was granted. After that, she engaged in FX trading for at least the last five years and incurred significant debts, including losses of around ¥1 billion.

According to MUFG, Imamura was in charge of managing safety deposit boxes at the Nerima Branch, which includes the former Ekoda Branch, and at Tamagawa Branch in Setagaya Ward from April 2020 to October 2024. She allegedly unlocked customers’ deposit boxes at each location without permission.

Two keys are required to open a safe deposit box: a bank key kept at a branch and a customer key held by a customer. Imamura is said to have used spare customer keys along with bank keys to open the boxes.

The situation came to light at the end of October last year after a customer complaint. The bank dismissed Imamura on disciplinary grounds in November.