crime

'Dogman' robs convenience stores to feed pets

12 Comments

A man on welfare went to extremes to provide for his many pets by robbing convenience stores while wearing the mask of a dog, police said Monday. Takaharu Kawata -- branded by media as "The Dogman" -- was caught on a surveillance camera wearing a black-and-white canine mask while brandishing a knife.

The 28-year-old was arrested in Osaka for hold-ups in which he allegedly stole a total of 587,000 yen, a police spokesman said.

Kawata "said he resorted to the robberies because he loves animals and was running out of money to feed his two dogs, five cats, five turtles, two snakes and an aquarium of tropical fish," the spokesman said.

"He bought a knife after watching television and thinking how easy it was to do hold-ups just by wielding it," he said.

Kawata, who is unemployed and living on welfare, was arrested in March while he was attempting to rob a convenience store. He is suspected of having robbed two stores previously.

Despite receiving monthly benefits of 120,000 yen, Kawata said he did not have enough money to cover the basic necessities for himself and his pets.

He was reportedly without the mask when he was arrested, saying that his beagle -- which he apparently bought with stolen cash -- had ripped it up.

After his arrest, Kawata's pets were handed over to a pet shop, the police spokesman added, and the lease on his apartment was suspended.

© AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


12 Comments
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Seriously

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This has just gotta be the silly season in old Japan? What's the summer gonna be like here? I mean really... 'the Dog man strikes again!' Does he also wield a reign of terror with a balloon on a stick? Plain stupid doesn't describe it...

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120,000 a month. Unless he lives with family, how does he get by. I hear a lot of stories about people living on similar amounts. Most frightening is that the other people I hear about are working.

At least he didn't hurt anyone.

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woof woof!! bad boy!! of to jail you go!

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Full points for style.

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Wow.. I've never seen a costumed villain/vigilante before..

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"He was reportedly without the mask when he was arrested, saying that his beagle had ripped it up"

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

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With that mask and outfit he would have been better off trying to make it as a masked pro-wrestler.

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The Beagle caught him! Wuff!

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classic

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Wow.. I've never seen a costumed villain/vigilante before.. There was an indiscriminate stabber a few years back that dressed as as a teddy bear.

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its kind of funny and cool, like a vigilantly hero. but of course evil too.

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