Elderly Ninja Thief Responsible For Over 250 Break-Ins Finally Caught in Japan

Police revealed that 74-year-old Mitsuaki Tanigawa was responsible for over 250 break-ins in a span of more than eight years.

Police investigators initially thought the acts of burglary were being committed by someone a lot younger, according to the BBC. However, upon observing a particular elderly man who acted peculiar during the day, they’ve concluded that he was in fact the infamous thief known as the “Ninja of Heisei.”

“He was dressed all in black just like a ninja,” an Osaka city official added.

The suspected elderly ninja’s modus operandi consisted of changing clothes in a decrepit building, then waiting for nighttime before going out to commit burglary.

According to the Daily Mirror, surveillance footage captured Tanigawa’s face when he lowered his mask while stealing 27,000 yen ($237) from a shop, which eventually led to his arrest in July. The 74-year-old thief was charged with thefts that amounted to a whopping 30 million yen (more than $260,000).

Police mentioned that the elderly ninja had “impressive physical ability” for a man his age. Even when Tanigawa was on his way to the precinct, he still maintained the persona of a ninja, allegedly telling officers, “I am defeated.”

“I thought I would never be caught,” Tanigawa added.

Perhaps this senior ninja should’ve taken notes from the thief who learned his ninja skills from “Naruto”, and finally realized that crime certainly doesn’t pay.