'Lonely' man strikes again
2008-07-17 14:04
Tokyo - A Japanese man who longed for canine companionship was arrested for trying to steal the same dog he failed to snatch three years ago, police and reports said on Thursday.
Naohito Kobayashi, 43, was released last month after spending time in prison for some 20 cases of dog-snatching.
But just two days after he was released he again stole a dog in the central city of Nagoya, a police spokesperson said.
Newspapers said the dog was the same Welsh Corgi whose theft led to Kobayashi's arrest three years ago.
"I was lonely, so I stole the same cute dog," Kobayashi told police, as quoted by the Sports Nippon tabloid.
The 12-year-old male Corgi has since been safely returned to his owner, police said.