Three Japanese master crims were cuffed after using the GPS system of a car they flogged in a net auction to steal back the vehicle, Mainichi reports.

An unnamed 26-year-old man bought the car on 21 December last year, and on 24 December company executive Hiroaki Yasumatsu, 30, and employees Takashi Shimizu and Takashi Murata, both 25, used the vehicle's GPS to track it to the parking lot of an apartment complex in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture.

They duly made off with their booty using a duplicate key, but the wheels then came off their cunning plan when they attempted to resell it online.

The victim spotted the auction, made a successful bid and asked the trio to bring the car to a location in Hikone. Having confirmed the identity of the wheels, he called police who made the necessary arrests.

All three perps have been charged with theft, Mainichi concludes. ®

Bootnote

Thanks to Andrew Hardisty for the tip-off.

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