Love-smitten man tries to kidnap mannequin

A Japanese man was arrested after trying to steal a mannequin from a display window, claiming it was love at first sight, news reports said on Monday.

Shoji Shibuzaki (33) was arrested at 3am in the southern city of Maebara for allegedly trying to remove the mannequin from display at a community centre, a police official was quoted as saying in a report in the Asahi Shimbum newspaper.

"It was love at first sight," he reportedly told police after his arrest last week.

The unemployed man said he had spotted the mannequin, which was clad in a kimono, a few days earlier when passing and crafted his plan to haul it home.

But he told police he gave up the plan after he came closer and became disillusioned with the mannequin's supposed beauty.

"The mannequin looked eerie from close-up, and she seemed too heavy to carry her home," he was quoted as saying