Sachiko Tsukada, 30, reportedly met the man on an Internet dating site in late 2001 but had never met him in real life until a lawsuit brought them together in October.

Tsukada, a former accounting official at a transport company, was arrested on theft charges on Thursday along with her unemployed 32-year-old suitor, Masafumi Hirosawa.

They allegedly 'conspired to steal a total of 2.5 million yen (S$33,137) by withdrawing money from the company's bank account five times' in the central city of Nagoya last year, a police spokesman said.

Police are continuing investigations as the total sum of money they stole is believed to be 120 million yen, the official said.

Japanese media said the company had filed a civil lawsuit against the couple, demanding 153 million yen in damages.

Mr Hirosawa maintained contact with the woman for years over the telephone and email, in which he sent pictures of a good-looking man who was not him, reports said.

He asked her to send him money, saying he needed it for treatment of his sick mother, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun.

Ms Tsukada initially sent money from her own bank account or through borrowing but eventually started stealing from the company, it said.

'I thought he would dislike me if I refused to lend money,' she was quoted as telling police.

He reportedly used the money to fund a life of debauchery. -- AFP