ILLIT and Kuroki Haru appear on THE Toppa File, tackling shoplifting and credit card fraud cases with the cast.

ILLIT will appear on NTV’s THE Toppa File. The August 20 (Thursday) broadcast will air a special, “Expose the Crime Targeting Blind Spots SP.” In “Shoplifting G-Men,” Yoshizumi and Kaga Sho of Kagaya take on shoplifters with extremely clever methods. In “Toppa Police Box,” they investigate the culprit in a credit card fraud case that happened to a man who returned from overseas. In the studio, the girl group ILLIT, appearing for the first time, and Haru Kuroki will join the challenge. Were they able to break through the difficult problems!? In “Shoplifting G-Men,” which takes on shoplifters who commit crimes using various methods, Yoshizumi and Kagaya’s Kaga are watching a variety store where thefts of rings and accessories have been occurring one after another. While keeping watch inside the store, three suspicious high school girls appear, seeming to care about the position of the security cameras. Right after one of them picks up two rings, she drops the rings on the floor. The G-men confirm that she crouched down and picked up both, but in the brief moment when a blind spot was created by the two friends, something changed. Only one ring was returned to the shelf. The other had vanished without a trace. There was no sign that it was put into a bag, and there were no suspicious movements around her clothes or feet. While observing the three as they tried to leave the store, what shocking shoplifting method did Yoshizumi notice!? In the studio, Haru Kuroki and the girl group ILLIT join for the first time! IROHA of ILLIT says, “It’s a program I’ve loved very much since I was little,” but will she achieve a breakthrough on her very first appearance!? Next is an electronics retailer where thefts of expensive items such as mobile batteries and wireless earphones have been continuing. A security guard is stationed at the entrance, security gates are installed, and anti-theft tags are even attached to the merchandise, so the measures should have been complete. What Yoshizumi and Kaga focused on was a man who looked around the surroundings more than necessary. When the man picked up a mobile battery with an anti-theft tag, he moved into a blind spot from surveillance. Then, when he reappeared, the product had disappeared from his hand! It did not seem as though he had put it in a backpack or pocket. They suspected he handed it off to an accomplice, but the suspicious person also passed through the security gate without difficulty. The man himself also passed through the gate, but the alarm did not sound. Several days later, the man appeared again, and the G-men watched him closely. However, once again, in just a few seconds in a blind spot, the product disappeared. He did not hide it on his body. The anti-theft tag was still attached. And yet only the product kept disappearing. How on earth was the culprit stealing expensive items without ever passing them through the security gate!? It is an extremely difficult problem that even Kuroki and ILLIT struggle with. While everyone in the studio struggles, who was the solver who opened a way through!? “Toppa Police Box,” which confronts familiar crimes, takes on a credit card fraud case this time. Nakajima (EXIT’s Rintaro), who returned from an overseas business trip, tried to pay a taxi fare with his smartphone, but for some reason the card could not be used. When he checked the usage history, there was an unfamiliar payment of 3.5 million yen! The Toppa Police Box members, Kanechika, Okabe, and Shoinji, begin investigating. They examine various possibilities, such as the card being swapped overseas, non-contact skimming that reads information from a smartphone, fake shopping sites, and phishing scams. However, the victim had not taken his credit card overseas in the first place. When he returned home, the physical card was also safe. This apartment building has an auto-lock and security guards on duty 24 hours a day, so it is not a situation where a suspicious person could easily enter. They also considered the possibility that information was stolen from his smartphone during a massage he visited just before the business trip, but no decisive evidence was found. The card was not stolen. There was nothing wrong with the computer or smartphone either. And yet, why was the culprit able to use a card in the victim’s name? What was the sophisticated fraud method targeting residents of a luxury apartment building!? Bold shoplifting methods and heinous crimes using credit cards! Can they protect themselves from familiar crimes? ■ Program information “THE Toppa File” August 20 (Thursday) 19:00–19:54 Nippon TV network <Cast> Program MC: Teruyoshi Uchimura Regular answerers: Sandwich Man <Guest answerers> *in Japanese syllabary order ILLIT, EXIT, Gakutensoku, Time Machine 3, Haru Kuroki, Meru Nukumi <Broadcast content> *in Japanese syllabary order ▼Shoplifting G-Men Cast: Kagaya, Yoshizumi, etc. ▼Toppa Police Box Cast: EXIT, Dai Okabe (Hanako), Taiyu Shoinji (Pekopa), Ayana Sogawa, Mako Yokota, Rintaro, etc. ■ Related link “THE Toppa File” official site