TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a former employee at a mahjong parlor over the alleged assault and attempted robbery of an elderly woman in Toshima Ward last year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Jan. 19).
At around 4:30 p.m. on October 23, Hirohiko Ikuta, 64, is alleged to have repeatedly hit the woman in the face and taken her bag inside the elevator of a multi-tenant building in the Komagome area.
The suspect fled the scene empty-handed after the woman resisted the attack. The woman suffered light injuries to her face in the incident that required three weeks to heal.
Ikuta, who has been accused of assault for the purpose of robbery, admits to the allegations. “I was troubled by living expenses,” the suspect told the Sugamo Police Station.
According to police, the suspect and victim are acquainted through the mahjong parlor, which is located in the building. The woman is a regular customer of the parlor.
