Tokyo police Monday raided four metal shops in Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures for allegedly buying copper cables stolen by a group of Thai thieves, knowing they were stolen goods.
By October, Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department had arrested seven members of a Thai group for stealing copper cables from solar power plants in the village of Tsumagoi, Gunma Prefecture, and the town of Hinode, western Tokyo.
According to the MPD, the group was involved in more than 100 cases of copper cable theft, in which most of the cables were sold to the four shops. The group is believed to have sold copper cables at least 80 times between February and June, earning a total of ¥46 million.