>Computers have been stolen from 19 universities across the nation, and police suspect a large-scale theft ring is behind the losses, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The Metropolitan Police Department began investigating the case after computers were stolen from the science and engineering departments of prestigious universities in Tokyo, including Tokyo and Waseda universities. The MPD then learned that a total of 245 computers had been stolen from 19 universities since September 2006. In Tokyo, 16 laptop computers were stolen from Keio University's School of Medicine on Dec. 2. The computers contained personal information on patients. The next day, 19 computers were taken from Tokyo University's Agriculture Faculty, and on Feb. 9, 14 computers were stolen from Waseda University's Science and Engineering Faculty. In total, 76 computers were stolen from six universities in Tokyo alone.
There was a similar modus operandi in the theft cases, with the perpetrator or perpetrators breaking into a laboratory on a holiday or at night and taking computers and other devices such as printers and items for wireless local area networks. The MPD concluded all the thefts were carried out by the same group.
