AICHI (TR) – Aichi Prefectural Police apprehended two men wanted in connection with a massive gold heist after a car chase ended in an accident in Nagoya, reports the Asahi Shimbun (May 29).
At 12:50 p.m., a vehicle carrying Naoki Noguchi, 43, and Ryuichiro Nakagaki, 40, flipped on its side after crashing into another car at an intersection in Nakamura Ward. Both men were transported to a nearby hospital after sustaining injuries.
Just prior to the accident, officers in a patrol car gave chase to the vehicle after attempting to stop and question both persons, who were wanted in the theft and resale of 160 kilograms of gold worth more than 700 million yen last year in Fukuoka City.
In carrying out the crime, at least four men falsely announced themselves as “police” to persons in possession of the gold near JR Hakata Station under the premise that they were engaging in a smuggling investigation. The thieves then took custody of the gold, which was packaged in attache cases, under the guise of an inspection and fled the scene by car.
A total of eight persons have bee arrested in the case. Police are seeking the whereabouts of two other persons.
Regarding the apprehension of Noguchi and Nakagaki, a representative of the Aichi Prefectural Police said, “As of now, I think the duties [of the officers] were conducted properly.”
