Restaurant Manager Tries to Rob His Own Restaurant Twice, Fails Miserably

February 11, 2016

A Japanese restaurant manager was arrested for armed robbery last month after he attempted to rob his own restaurant.

Hijiri Sato, 22, entered his own restaurant on Jan. 15 at 12:55 a.m. donning a mask and sunglasses, according to Rocket News24. Wielding a knife in one hand, he demanded money from the eatery as his staff was closing up for the night.

His staff was completely puzzled by the scene but was able to recognize their manager’s voice. They asked: “Are you Mr. Sato?”

After he was called out for the stunt, Sato attempted to play off the scene as some kind of drill and allegedly removed his mask and warned the staff to “watch out for robberies.” After issuing the warning in the seemingly bizarre training exercise, he casually walked away.

According to Saga Shimbum, the next day Sato called the emergency police number to report that “two people stole 300,000 yen (US $2,600) from the restaurant.”

Further investigation from authorities revealed evidence that the restaurant had been robbed, but by Sato himself. Sato reportedly embezzled nearly 57,000 yen ($500) from sales. On Feb. 8, he was charged with attempted robbery and embezzlement and was arrested.

Some have speculated that the attempted robbery was meant as a cover-up for Sato’s embezzlement. Police are currently conducting further investigation into the incidents.

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