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Tokyo cops nab yakuza in kidnapping, robbery of man at knifepoint

Sanshin Ko
Sanshin Ko

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested an organized crime member in the kidnapping and robbery of a 30-year-old man in Adachi Ward last year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (June 15).

On July 14 at 10:20 p.m., Sanshin Ko, a 34-year-old member of the Sumiyoshi-kai, Yuichiro Iino, 32, and two other persons abducted the man and pushed him into a vehicle. The man’s hands and feet were then bound with tape. With a survival knife held at his throat, the suspects beat the man and demanded that he obtain 30 million yen from his mother via telephone.

After the suspects stole 50,000 yen from his wallet, the victim escaped about 1.5 hours after he was abducted. He suffered slight injuries to his feet in the incident.

Ko, who is a Korean national, and Iino are former members of a bosozoku motorcycle gang. None of the four suspects was acquainted with the victim. However, one of them had conveyed to the rest of the group that “his mother has money.”

Iino has refused to comment on the charges. The other three suspects deny the allegations.

According to TV Asahi (June 15), Ko pretended to speak in the Chinese language and made threats in broken Japanese in order to make the suspects appear to be Chinese.