Committing the daylight robbery of a huge amount of money often involves a very well-armed group of thieves……but not always. Sometimes, all that’s needed is a trusting group of guards and a great lie. That was the case with Japan’s biggest robbery, when just under 300 million yen ($2.1 million today) was stolen from a vehicle guarded by four security staff. On Dec. 10, 1968, four employees of the Kokubunji branch of the Nihon Shintaku Ginko Bank were transporting 300 million yen in bonuses for Toshiba factory workers, when a motorcycle cop stopped their car. The policeman approached the vehicle and advised the bank employees that their bank manager’s home had been blown up. He added that the police had received a warning that dynamite had been placed under the vehicle. The four guards got out as the policeman went underneath the car to check the explosives. Soon after, the bank guards noticed smoke and flames from under the vehicle. The policeman rolled out, shouting that it was about to explode. As the panic-stricken guards ran away, the policeman got in and drove off with the money. Although 120 pieces of evidence were found at the scene, the investigation yielded no arrests. In 1988, the statute of limitations ran out, which means the thief could openly admit guilt without fear of arrest or prosecution. To this day, no one has come forward.
