16-06-2025
Russian nabbed for attempted pickpocketing on Yamanote TokyoReporter
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male Russian national for allegedly attempting to pickpocket a commuter on the Yamanote Line last week, reports Fuji News Network (June 16).
On the evening of June 13, Shemshukevich Vitaly, 46, allegedly reached inside the bag of a man inside a crowded carriage near Shinjuku Station during rush-hour.
Two railway police officers then grabbed him from behind.
Upon his arrest on suspicion of attempted theft, Vitaly denied the charges. 'I haven't done anything wrong. The zipper on my bag is closed, so there's no way it could have been opened,' he told the Shinjuku Police Station.
Before the incident, Vitaly stood in front of the male commuter carrying the bag. He draped his clothes over his arm so his hands weren't visible. He then put his other hand in the pocket of the commuter's bag.
Shemshukevich Vitaly (X) Pickpocketing pro
Police have been wary of Vitaly for some time. He has entered and left the country about 20 times in the past two years.
According to police, pickpocketing has been a regular practice for him during those times. Fourteen cases have been reported.
One of them took place on June 6, when Vitaly committed the crime right in front of Tokyo Metropolitan Police officers on alert.
Police said that there had been 127 cases of pickpocketing this year as of the end of May. This is already 1.6 times the number over the same period in 2024.
