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Perhaps it's related to the economic slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but these days shrines and temples seem to be burgled more often. Today, the police released a video of a 3-week (!) operation that culminated in the thief's arrest in Saitama: he had stolen coins from several shrines. His loot: 655 yen. The officers had been lurking under tarps for over 4 hours, some of them in camouflaged sniper suits.
Source: Saitama's finest catch coin thief at shrine after multi-week stakeout
Those two were also filmed, and got away with 30,000 yen but turned themselves in when the video was released.
www.tokyoreporter.com
1,500 yen in this case in Yokohama:
japantoday.com
I have seen a young guy in our neighbourhood temple fishing for coins with a "sticky belt" and an older fellow manipulating the donation box at a nearby shrine during the New Year holidays who ran off after our dog started barking at him. I wonder what sentences they receive when caught.
Source: Saitama's finest catch coin thief at shrine after multi-week stakeout
Those two were also filmed, and got away with 30,000 yen but turned themselves in when the video was released.

To catch 2 thieves: Nagoya shrine posts video of cash theft on YouTube
Aichi Prefectural Police have arrested two men over the alleged theft of cash at a shrine in Nagoya earlier this week

1,500 yen in this case in Yokohama:

77-year-old man arrested for stealing money from shrine donation box
Police in Yokohama on Sunday arrested a 77-year-old man on suspicion of stealing 1,500 yen from a wooden box for monetary donations at a shrine in June. According to police, the man, of no fixed address, said he came from Okinawa, Sankei Shimbun. Police said that on the night of…

I have seen a young guy in our neighbourhood temple fishing for coins with a "sticky belt" and an older fellow manipulating the donation box at a nearby shrine during the New Year holidays who ran off after our dog started barking at him. I wonder what sentences they receive when caught.