TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested arrested an organized crime member for allegedly posing as a government employee in swindling an elderly woman, reports Nippon News Network (Dec. 6).
In March, Shunpei Okamoto, a 36-year-old member of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, and two other persons allegedly conspired to pose as an employee from the office of Itabashi Ward in obtaining two bank cards from the woman, a 72-year-old resident of the same ward.
The suspects then fraudulently obtained 4 million yen in cash using the cards.
Okamoto and one other suspect, who have been accused of fraud, deny the allegations. The third suspect admits to the charges.
In carrying out the ruse, a suspect posing as the ward employee telephoned the woman and falsely claimed that the cards were needed for her to be eligible for a refund.
The incident came to light during different fraud investigation. During an examination of a telephone, the swindling of the woman in Itabashi emerged.
