Fake Japanese cop drove away with a £4.5m Christmas bonus

IT’S the biggest heist in Japanese history – and it’s still unsolved.

On December 10, 1968, a suspect made off with 300 million yen, about £4.5m in today’s terms.

And for sheer bravado, this chap takes the biscuit.

Unlike the Nihon Shintaku Ginko bank, who thought it was a good idea to transport the bonuses for a Toshiba factory’s staff in the boot of a car with just four employees as an escort.

They were stopped on a Tokyo street by what appeared to be a police motorcyclist, who said there was a bomb in their car.

They swiftly got out of the vehicle, but the “cop” hopped in and drove away.

The bandit made a clean getaway with the cash, leaving 120 items of evidence at the scene, everyday items intended to hamper the investigation.

The 19-year-old son of a policeman was arrested, but committed suicide a few days later.

He had no alibi, but knew nothing of police procedure and so was actually considered to be innocent.

Seven years later, his friend was arrested with a large amount of cash for which he could give no explanation – again, the police couldn’t prove anything and the crime remains unsolved.