Police in Kyoto Prefecture arrested a 44-year-old man on Saturday for embezzlement of a car he had rented one year ago.
According to Sora News, local police said Masafumi Hagiwara rented a car from a rental company in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, on June 25, 2019.
Seven days later, when the car was due to be returned, the man called the rental company and said: “I’m in Tokyo so I’d like to request an extension.”
However, the man still did not return the car and even continued to drive the car as if he owned it until Aug. 4, 2020.
If we count from last year’s return date, the overdue fine is estimated to be as high as 7.66 million yen (S$99k), which is much higher than the price of a new car.
In response, many commented, “What was he thinking? He signed a contract so there was no way he wouldn’t get caught” while another said: “Surprisingly, no one has been tracking him down for over a year.”
One wrote: “This fine is enough to buy two new cars or five lightweight vehicles.”
“A friend of mine works at a rental car company and they say this happens sometimes – some people even hire cars to commit crimes,” another commentator said.
