Tokyo police have arrested two suspects for allegedly using stolen credit card data to purchase Shinkansen bullet train tickets totaling approximately 700,000 yen, or around $4,500.
The arrested individuals, Liu Hu, a Chinese national, and Vu Thi Chinh, a Vietnamese national, face allegations of theft among other charges. They are suspected of buying the tickets through the Central Japan Railway Company’s reservation site using illegally obtained credit card information.
Liu is believed to have purchased tickets worth around $1,500, while Chinh is alleged to have acquired tickets valued at approximately $3,000 during July and August. The suspects reportedly sold these tickets for cash at discount ticket shops.
Tokyo police suggest that the illegal transactions were facilitated using stolen account and credit card information obtained through illegitimate reservation sites and other means.
Authorities have not revealed whether the suspects have admitted to the allegations. The Central Japan Railway Company reported that since January, a total of 870 million yen, or about $5.6 million, worth of tickets have been purchased illegally from their website.