Man arrested over $11,000 grape theft in western Japan

Police in western Japan have arrested a 42-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of a brazen theft involving approximately 650 bunches of grapes. The valuable fruit, estimated to be worth around 1.43 million yen (approximately $11,400), was allegedly stolen from a greenhouse in Okayama Prefecture.

The arrested individual, identified as Masakazu Maeda, is no stranger to such accusations, as he has already been indicted in a separate grape theft case. When questioned by authorities, Maeda partially denied the current allegation, with police quoting him as saying, “I don’t think there were as many as 650 bunches, from what I remember.”

Investigators suspect that Maeda carried out the theft between the early morning of August 4th and the early morning of August 5th. According to the police, Maeda confessed to selling the stolen Shine Muscat and other grape varieties online through flea market and auction sites. He reportedly stated that the proceeds from these sales were used to cover his living expenses.

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I don’t think there were as many as 650 bunches, from what I remember.