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Tokyo cops nab 5 in loan scam

Wataru Takatoki
Wataru Takatoki

KYOTO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have busted a fraud ring whose members swindled victims by pretending to offer loans, reports TV Asahi (May 31).

Earlier this month, Wataru Takatoki, 42, and four other members of the group, allegedly deceived a woman, aged in her 30s and living in Kyoto, into sending them her bank card as a guarantee for a loan. “You are eligible for a loan exceeding several million yen,” one of the suspects falsely told her.

The ring operated from an apartment in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward. Police seized registers with about 30,000 names that the suspects are believed to have used to target victims.

All five suspects, who have been charged with fraud, deny the allegations. “Right now, I’ve got nothing to say,” Takatoki was quoted by police. “I’ll decide after speaking to a lawyer.”

Police are investigating the suspects for possible participation in other crimes.