Doctor Arrested in Japan’s Saga Prefecture Over Alleged Theft from Patient After Cash Goes Missing

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:06 JST, January 28, 2026

SAGA — A doctor was arrested on Tuesday after being accused of stealing from a purse during a medical checkup at a public health facility last year, according to police.

The 43-year-old doctor from Fukuoka Prefecture is suspected of stealing cash from a woman’s purse in the morning of Nov. 25, during a medical checkup at the facility in Chikushino, Saga Prefecture.

The woman, in her 40s, told police that she had felt something wrong during the examination because she heard some strange sounds during the checkup. After checking her purse, she found that cash worth about ¥26,000 had disappeared.

The police have said that the doctor denies the accusation and claims he had no memories of stealing anything. He had previously been arrested on Jan. 13 over an alleged attempted theft of cash from a person during a medical checkup in the city on Nov. 15.