Police in Tokyo have reportedly arrested a 34-year-old Japanese man over allegations he stole a service apron belonging to a female flight attendant because he wanted to smell the garment and wear it for his own personal gratification.
The alleged theft took place on an All Nippon Airways plane that was preparing to depart from New Ishigaki Airport in Okinawa Prefecture on April 25, although it wasn’t until June 12 that police managed to track down the suspect and take him into custody.
According to police sources quoted by various Japanese media outlets, the man snuck into the galley at the rear of the airplane and swiped a pink service apron that had been left on the side by one of the female flight attendants during boarding.
What might seem like a relatively minor crime considering that the apron was worth just 5,000 Yen (US $32), however, was still taken pretty seriously by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department after the airline reported the alleged crime in May.
Nearly a month and a half later, detectives identified their suspect and took him into custody. During police questioning, the man allegedly admitted to stealing the apron because it was his hobby to collect female work uniforms, which he would sniff and wear.
Police have reportedly recovered the apron from his home, along with what appeared to be a female nurse uniform. The man is suspected of committing several similar uniform thefts.
Matt’s take
This might seem like a pretty off crime but it’s not unheard of for passengers to help themselves to uniform items belonging to flight attendants.
These kinds of thefts normally happen during boarding when flight attendants might leave items of uniform unattended during what can be a really busy period when they are distracted by what is going on in the cabin.
One of the most popular items for passengers to pilfer is the flight attendants ‘wings’ that are often pinned to their blazers. Sometimes, however, the thefts can take a kinkier angle with female flight attendants sometimes discovering that their high heels have been swiped.
