A thief made off with a 52-year-old Chinese businessman's bag, which held about ¥7.4 million, when he was caught off guard during a possible diversionary scam Monday near JR Tokyo Station, police said.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department's Marunouchi Station, which is investigating the case, the businessman had withdrawn the money from a bank and was walking toward his office near stairways for the Marunouchi north exit of the station when he felt what appeared to be bird droppings land on the back of his jacket.
A woman then came up to him and offered him a towel, and while the man was using it to wipe off his coat, another man, wearing a mask, approached and made off with his bag, disappearing into a crowd. The woman then abruptly left as well. The victim said the money was his company's working capital.
The thief is described as being is in his 50s and about 165-cm tall. He was wearing black and wore a mask. The police are investigating to determine if the woman was also involved in the theft.