While Japan is widely considered to be a safe society to live in, the problem of “chikan” (gropers and perverts who engage in lewd behaviour like taking photos up women’s skirts) still persists in crowded spaces like trains and train stations.

It’s an issue that many women in Japan say they’ve sadly experienced at some point in their lives, and it’s so prevalent there are now scams out there that seek to profit on this despicable behaviour.

One such scam was uncovered in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro area recently, when a woman in a short skirt was arrested by police after a man took a photo up her skirt. This isn’t the usual order of proceedings for a case of upskirt photography in Japan, as the woman is usually the innocent victim. However, this was no ordinary case, as it was found that the woman was intentionally waiting for someone to take a peep at her privates.

According to police, the woman in question, 35-year-old Rui Miyanishi, was operating with 34-year-old Teru Omata, with whom she lived in Isesaki City, Gunma Prefecture. Investigations revealed that Omata instructed her to wear short-hemmed clothing in order to attract the attention of possible chikan and get them to photograph up her skirt.

When the couple were in Ikebukuro in May, Omata watched Miyanishi from a distance and after a man in his twenties took an upskirt photo of the woman, Omata appeared and said “That’s my woman you’ve photographed”. He then demanded the chikan hand over 1.1 million yen (US$10,425) in cash by the end of the day to avoid being reported to the authorities.

While it’s unclear how the authorities became involved, the duo were arrested by Tokyo Metropolitan Police officers on 2 August. Omata denies trying to extort the individual, however Miyanishi has confessed to the scam, saying she couldn’t stop Omata because she didn’t want to ruin their lives together.