A Japanese man Takashi Miyagawa, 39, was arrested by the police on Thursday after he was caught dating 35 girlfriends to get the ‘expensive’ birthday gifts throughout the year.
A salesman by profession, the accused wooed the women into a relationship on false pretense of marriage and disclosed wrong birth dates to receive luxurious gift items.
His actual birthday that fell on November 14, was little known to his girlfriends, and he managed to get a gift worth100,000 Japanese Yen (Rs 69,442) from one before getting caught.
Police also said that he’s collected approximately 100,000 yen ($926) from those three women alone, all in the form of different gifts. Of the 100,000 yen, 20,000 yen ($185) was reportedly in the form of electronic money.
He also received a suit worth 30,000 yen ($277).
Being dubbed a ‘serial dater’, the no-fixed abode resident of the Japanese region of Kansai defrauded women by gathering gift vouchers and cards, pretending that he was serious in a relationship with them, according to multiple reports.
Miyagawa, a part-time worker, told each of his girlfriends that he was ‘head over heel’ in their love, and allured them into false commitment.
He then informed the wrong birthday to scam the woman.
For instance, according to Newsflash, the 39-year-old serial dater told his 47-year-old lover that his birthday was on Feb. 22, another that it was in July, while the third was fooled into believing that his birthday falls in April.
The fraudulent relationships came to the attention of police in February, when some of the girlfriends formed a victim’s alliance and filed a complaint against him. How the victims found one other is still unclear.
Police, however, believe that Miyagawa met the women via a multi-level marketing scheme involving “the sale of shower-related products,” says The Tokyo Reporter. They think there could be upwards of 35 women who have been targeted by Miyagawa’s ploy.
One of the victims, who was interviewed by the Mainichi Broadcasting Network, said that Miyagawa had promised her a serious, committed relationship.
Looking back at the start of their relationship, the victim was reportedly surprised when Miyagawa kissed her: it was only the second time the pair had met, and she was hesitant to get involved without a clear commitment.
“I told him, ‘I don’t want to do that unless [you] are someone who wants to get married and really be with me in the future,'” she said. “He responded, ‘I’m serious. I’m going to be with you for the rest of my life.'”
Attempts by news outlets to reach Miyagawa for comment have been in vain. Upon his arrest, Miyagawa reportedly said, “I don’t want to say anything until I speak with a lawyer.” The Tokyo Reporter also claims a film crew from outlet MBS news located him in Osaka, and when they asked him if he was, indeed, the suspect in question, he denied it. When they asked him about the allegations of fraud, he reportedly “fled” the scene.
