NIIGATA (TR) – Niigata Prefectural Police are once again seeking the help of the public in apprehending a suspect in the murder of a taxi driver in Niigata City nearly one decade ago, reports Niigata Nippo (July 29).
At a plaza at the South Exit of JR Niigata Station on Saturday, 16 officers from the Niigata-Higashi Police Station distributed information sheets on the suspect in the killing Tsugio Abe, a 63-year-old taxi driver whose stab-riddled body was found in his cab parked in Higashi Ward in the early morning hours of November 2, 2009.
Abe typically waited for passengers at the South Exit. Police suspect that his last customer on November 1 committed the crime.
Security camera footage taken at the station around the time of the crime captured the man who is believed to be his final passenger. He was shown with a light build and standing about 165 centimeters tall. Video clips showing the footage were played on monitors in the station on Saturday.
Reward period extended
Also on Saturday, the National Police Agency for the sixth time extended the offering of a 3-million-yen reward for information in the case for another year.
“We are seeking any information, even if it seems trivial,” said Ryota Isobe, a section manager for a search division of the Niigata police, according to the Sankei Shimbun (July 29). “We are continuing the investigation with the aim of solving the crime.”
Persons with information in the case are urged to call the Niigata-Higashi Police Station at 0120-39-1105.
