Man assaulted and robbed by family posing as hitchhikers

Thursday 11th June, 12:20 PM JST

SHIGA —

A 29-year-old man was robbed Tuesday night after he had stopped to let off a mother and son pair of hitchhikers he had picked up earlier near Koga City in Shiga Prefecture, police said Wednesday.

According to police, the driver was on his way home from work on Tuesday night when at about 6:30 p.m., he stopped to pick up a woman in her 30s and her 5 or 6 year-old son who were walking along the road in Ritto City. The pair got into the back seat, and the woman requested to be dropped off at the Shigaraki area in Koga City. After traveling about five kilometers, the group reached Otsu City when the son complained “I have to go to the bathroom,” and the woman requested the driver stop.

When the pair got out, the driver’s door was suddenly opened and a man reached in and hit the driver on the back of the head once, then choked him until he lost consciousness. He woke up about 5 1/2 hours later and found himself in his car, which was parked on a road in Koga City about 20 kilometers from where he had stopped. The 15,000 yen in cash in his wallet was missing.

Police believe the group was a family who had thought of the plot to pose as hitchhikers and rob drivers at a pre-arranged spot.

News reports

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Latest 15 of 22 Total Comments Show All

LFRAgain at 02:38 PM JST - 11th June

I don't think it's quite accurate to say that the 5-year-old was "posing" as anything. I doubt the kid had any idea what his parents were doing was wrong. They probably told him it was a game or somesuch.

Foul beings, these,ahem, parents.
jason6 at 02:58 PM JST - 11th June

This recession is hastening the disintegration of Japanese society. I just did a 1000km hitchhiking trip round Kyushu and Honshu, had an amazing time. It's sad to know that this kind of trip will become as rare as it is now all over the world.
ultradodgy at 04:17 PM JST - 11th June

My spidey sense is telling me there is more to this story... awfully good fortune for the driver, after 5 kms, to stop exactly where the accomplice was waiting...
namabiru4me at 04:24 PM JST - 11th June

Knocked out for 5 1/2 hours? Stopping RIGHT where the accomplice was expecting?? A 5 year-old being that on cue???

strange!!!
Crimsonsil at 05:26 PM JST - 11th June

They left him his car?
moonbeams at 05:39 PM JST - 11th June

My spidey sense is telling me there is more to this story... awfully good fortune for the driver, after 5 kms, to stop exactly where the accomplice was waiting...

My Spidey sense says that the "father" followed from behind.
dishdash at 07:25 PM JST - 11th June

Wow in all my time in Japan I have never heard of this one - gropers, molesters, keitai pervs etc sure but this is new. How ironic would it be if this group targeted by accident once of the crazies that exist in Japan - that would give the husband or wife who planned this a definite wake up call - the predator becomes the prey!
martyman at 07:53 PM JST - 11th June

I am not sure, but it sounds like the man fabricated this story so he wouldn't get into trouble with his wife after losing the money at a Pachinko Parlor. Or he was not paying attention to his surroudings very well and was carjacked.
WMD at 08:14 PM JST - 11th June

Trust no one, be on your guard at all times and most importantly, learn how to fight at close quarters.
MeanRingo at 08:49 PM JST - 11th June

I bet they're carnies who have lost their jobs due to the recession. Chills. I hate carnies.
hellhound at 08:51 PM JST - 11th June

what a trip
ThonTaddeo at 09:34 PM JST - 11th June

Knocked out for 5 1/2 hours? Stopping RIGHT where the accomplice was expecting?? A 5 year-old being that on cue???

What's to be surprised about? She probebly told the kid to express his desire for a bathroom break when they entered Otsu, or passed a certain store, or whatever. Even if the accomplice wasn't following directly behind them, he could have been waiting at the spot where she directed the driver to stop.
Den Den at 12:10 AM JST - 12th June

namabiro4me is on to it. knocked out many folk, but never for 5 1/2 hours.
nimbus at 03:16 AM JST - 12th June

Something fishy about this story. Things don't add up. I can believe that he is out for five and a half hours if he was drugged, but not from choking.
bamboohat at 09:39 AM JST - 14th June

Dude got rolled is all, and made up the stuff about the mom and the kid to cover his tracks.

Or maybe he just spent all his cash drinking where he shouldn't have been, passed out in his car, and then made up the story to cover his tracks. any medical corroboration of his injuries is strangely missing from this story.