FUKUOKA (TR) – Fukuoka Prefectural Police have arrested a 44-year-old man for allegedly stalking a member of a popular idol group in Fukuoka City, reports TBS News (June 26).
On four occasions in May and June, Yoshio Nitta, a resident of Chuo Ward, used a vehicle to patrol slowly past the residence of an unnamed member of group HKT48, a sister unit of AKB48 that is based in Fukuoka.
Nitta, who has been charged with violating the Stalker Control Law, admits to the allegations. “I thought that if I passed nearby I would have a chance to meet [her],” the suspect was quoted by police.
Last month, the family of the idol lodged a report with police about “a suspicious man who was taking garbage” left in front of the residence.
The member in question told police she saw the suspect at a nearby train station. Police are investigating whether he followed her to her residence.
