74-year-old Woman Falsely Arrested for Shoplifting Sushi, Released 3 Days Later

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:45 JST, April 17, 2024

A 74-year-old woman from Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, was falsely arrested for theft and released three days later, the prefecture’s Omihachiman Police Station announced Tuesday. The woman had consistently denied the charge.

According to the announcement, police received a report from a volume retailer in the city on Saturday morning that the woman shoplifted a pack of sushi priced around ¥300, and they caught her red-handed based on eyewitness information.

The woman consistently denied the charge, saying she had received the already purchased item from a man she knew.

The police examined the store’s security camera footage in detail and saw the man and the woman together. Police finally found the man on Tuesday, and he told them that he had given the woman the sushi. The store’s sales records also showed that the sushi had been purchased.

The woman was found to have been falsely arrested and was released on Tuesday night, about 82 hours after her arrest. Police said it took three days to release the woman because “It took time to confirm her statement.” They expressed their apologies.