Island cop fired and re-arrested for stealing from members of the public

A 31-year-old police sergeant, Shinya Masumoto, has been dismissed and re-arrested for stealing cash from members of the public visiting the Osaki-Kamijima branch of Takehara Police.

Masumoto had already been indicted for stealing about ¥110,000 from two people who visited the branch office in June to renew their driver’s licenses. Further investigation found he took another ¥150,000 from eight more people between March and July. He told investigators he used the money for daily expenses and to pay credit card debt.

The Hiroshima Prefectural Police apologized to victims and the public, saying they’ll avoid using private rooms for driving license renewals to prevent further incidents.

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