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Thai police arrest yakuza accused in ¥1.5 billion fraud

Shinichi Nagata
Shinichi Nagata
BANGKOK (TR) – Police in Thailand on Monday announced the arrest of a Japanese organized crime member who had been wanted in a fraud ring, reports Jiji Press (March 2).

On February 28, Thai police took Shinichi Nagata, a 33-year-old member of the Sumiyoshi-kai, into custody in Pattaya, Chonburi Province on charges of overstaying his visa.

Nagata, for whom an arrest warrant had been issued by Tokyo Metropolitan Police, is alleged to have swindled a woman in Osaka out of 85 million yen in the sale of fake corporate bonds. The suspect fled to Thailand in November of last year.

Nagata is a part of a crime ring that targets the elderly. Thus far, police have arrested 24 Sumiyoshi-kai members for participation in the fraud, which is believed to have totaled 1.5 billion yen in damage to the victims.

The suspect indicated that wanted to speak with a lawyer before commenting on the allegations. He told TV Asahi (March 2) that he is not a member of an organized crime group.

Japanese police expect that Nagata will eventually be extradited to Japan.