A woman brewed up an unusual escape plan to free herself and her 6-month-old daughter from a suspected armed robber: a cup of tea and a chat.
A man who appeared to be a laborer in his 60s allegedly pulled a knife and demanded money from a 30-year-old housewife as she was walking in a hallway at a central Tokyo apartment building Monday morning, a Metropolitan Police Department official said Tuesday on condition of anonymity, citing MPD policy.
The woman told her assailant that she had no money, but he followed her and forced his way into her apartment, police said.
But rather than screaming, the woman served the man tea in hopes of calming him down.
The man put his knife away and began telling the woman about his financial hardship and asked her to lend him ¥10,000, police said.
They said the woman put a ¥10,000 bill and a wallet containing about ¥30,000 on the table.
When the man was looking the other way, she grabbed her daughter and ran out the door to call police. When she returned with the police to her flat, the man and the money were gone.