A murder case that's been cold for two years. Do you: Throw more detectives on it? Go on Japan's Most Wanted? Or create life-size, talking cardboard cutouts of the killer? I think we have a winner!

To catch the man who's suspected of killing a young British woman in March 2007 and hasn't been spotted in 19 months, Tokyo police's latest ploy is a life-sized cardboard cutout of Tatsuya Ichihashi.

The Japanese twist you're looking for is that pressing a button on the cutout plays an audio clip of Ichihashi talking. Oh, and they've only made five of them. And two of them will chill out in the police station, meaning only three will be scattered around the city. And this is all after disseminating thousands of posters showing what Ichihashi would look like in drag.

Man, I feel utterly horrible for this poor girl's family. [Times Online via Crave Image: AFP Photo/Yoshikazu Tsuno]

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