(Japan, 27th) – Japan's luxury watch sharing service provider Tokematch has been rocked by allegations that its manager and two employees colluded to illegally sell a total of 2,300 customers' luxury watches, earning illicit gains of 1.8 billion yen (about 46 million ringgit).
According to NHK reports, Tokematch was established four years ago, borrowing watches such as Rolex from owners and then lending them to those in need, paying monthly rent to the owners based on the watch's grade. However, in January last year Tokematch abruptly announced bankruptcy, and customers were shocked to find their watches had not been returned.
It is understood that shortly before Tokematch went bust, some customers discovered their watches had been sold to pawn shops in Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture, and even appeared on auction sites and second-hand platforms. Tokyo Metropolitan Police revealed that so far, a total of 650 victims from 45 prefectures have reported the case.
The Metropolitan Police stated that Tokematch manager Keiji Fukuhara (44) and employee Daisuke Nagata flew to Dubai to dispose of the stolen goods on the same day the company declared bankruptcy. Police are investigating under charges such as embezzlement, and Interpol has issued a Red Notice.
Last September, Japanese police changed the charge to fraud. This month they finally received notification from the United Arab Emirates that Keiji Fukuhara had been arrested there. After sending officers, the handover was completed with UAE authorities on the 26th. As for Daisuke Nagata, he remains on the run abroad, while another employee, Taishi Nakayama, has already been arrested previously.