Eight people have been arrested by Wakayama and Osaka prefectural police over the theft and sale of construction machinery and luxury cars in western Japan, police said Wednesday.
Police have arrested a group of six people on suspicion of stealing and selling the cars and equipment and another two on suspicion of buying the stolen property.
A joint investigative team Wednesday morning searched a company that sells construction machinery and is owned by Hiroshi Oshita, 53, one of the two suspected buyers.
Investigators said Oshita and the other buyer paid 200,000 yen for a small power shovel worth 2 million yen from the group on June 24, 2000, knowing it was stolen from a depot in Matsubara, Osaka Prefecture.
The group also allegedly stole about 20 cars in Osaka, Wakayama and Okayama prefectures, as well as more than 100 power shovels in western Japan.
Police said investigators have confirmed that several of the stolen power shovels were exported. They are trying to uncover the sales routes for the contraband goods.