A 25-year-old man was arrested Friday in Kobe on suspicion of stealing a wallet from a drunk man, after he went to tell police that his victim may have been seriously ill, Hyogo Prefecture railway police said.
The suspect, identified as Takeshi Nishioka, allegedly stole the wallet, which had some 20,000 yen in cash, from the back pocket of the 41-year-old company employee, who had passed out drunk on the street near the south exit of JR Kobe Station at around 1:10 a.m.
According to police, Nishioka had used the flame of a lighter to melt the seams of the pocket to get the wallet out, but grew concerned because the victim did not move during the process.
He then approached nearby police and told them the man did not move even when a lighter was brought close to his body, investigators said.
Officers thought this suspicious and questioned Nishioka, who then admitted taking the man's wallet, police said.
He was quoted by police as saying he thought his prey would die if left unattended.