Hardly the biggest surprise of the week but a worthy topic of news, Tokyo Reporter has highlighted an interesting report of the arrest of a Nigerian club owner arrested by police for drugging and stealing from his customers.
Officers took Emanuel John, the 44-year-old manager of Little Cat, which is located in the in the red-light district of Kabukicho, and three hostesses into custody on theft charges.
On April 20, a hostess allegedly spiked a vodka drink served to a 43-year-old male customer with a sleeping powder. His cash card was then stolen from his wallet and taken to a nearby convenience store ATM, where 1.3 million yen was withdrawn.
The club is well established, with seven years of service, during which time it no doubt ripped of hundreds of customers. John and his hostesses possibly have stolen up to 300 million yen in total.
So let this be a warning to you — avoid the hostess clubs of Kabukicho! (Sex clubs, of course, are another matter entirely.) If your drink tastes unusually strong or strange, you may be about to become a victim of a crime. This kind of scam is also common in Roppongi, which has given the area a truly notorious reputation.
