金商談装い、３４００万円窃盗容疑　リベリア国籍男２人逮捕―警視庁

　金の商談を装って現金３４００万円を盗んだとして、警視庁捜査３課は９日までに、窃盗容疑で、住居不定、職業不詳ジェームス・リー・エフ容疑者（４６）らリベリア国籍の男２人を逮捕した。いずれも容疑を否認している。
　逮捕容疑は昨年１１月１６日午後２時ごろ、東京都中央区新川のビジネスホテル一室で、古物商の男性（４３）が持参した現金３４００万円を盗んだ疑い。
　同課によると、男性は同容疑者と別の外国籍の男から５キロの金粒を購入するため、ホテルを訪れた。現金を見せたところ、同容疑者は「安全のため」などと言い、現金を新聞紙で包んだ。その後、男が床にばらまいた金粒を男性らが拾い上げている隙に、偽札にすり替えたという。（2024/09/09-12:37）

Tokyo police have arrested two Liberian men on suspicion of stealing cash under the guise of a gold transaction.
   The two are charged with stealing 34 million yen brought by a 43-year-old secondhand goods dealer to a hotel in Tokyo's Chuo Ward around 2 p.m. on Nov. 16, 2023. They both deny the theft allegations, investigative sources said.
   According to the sources, the dealer visited the hotel to buy 5 kilograms of gold grains from the Liberian men and another non-Japanese man.
   After the dealer showed the cash to them, one of the suspects wrapped the money in newspaper, saying this was for safety. Then the money was replaced with counterfeit bills while the dealer was picking up grains spilled by another man.
   The dealer left the hotel to examine the grains and returned some 90 minutes later after finding that they were gold-colored copper. The three men had already disappeared.