Three Elderly Men, Ages 69 to 88, Charged with Robbery

This story could easily serve as the plot for a successful Hollywood thriller. In Japan, three elderly men have become the talk of the nation after allegedly forming a criminal gang. What makes this situation particularly unique is the age of the suspects, all of whom are over 70. As a result, the media has dubbed them the “grandpa gang.”

According to a report by The South China Morning Post, the trio, with a combined age of 227, have become an unlikely face of crime in Japan. They are known as the “G3S” by police, a playful reference to the Japanese word for “grandpas.” The group is suspected of carrying out a series of burglaries on the northern island of Hokkaido.

Hideo Umino, 88, Hidemi Matsuda, 70, and Kenichi Watanabe, 69, allegedly met and formed their criminal enterprise while serving time in prison. Once released, they reportedly targeted unoccupied homes for their illicit activities.

In May, the gang allegedly broke into an empty house in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido. Their haul was modest: 200 yen (US$1.3) in cash and three bottles of whisky valued at a total of 10,000 yen (US$65).

Undeterred by the modest outcome, the trio is suspected of striking again the following month. This time, they allegedly made off with 24 pieces of jewelry worth a staggering one million yen (US$6,400) from another vacant residence in the same area.

As news of their alleged crimes spread, the “grandpa gang” quickly became a viral sensation, capturing public imagination due to their unusual profile.

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