KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police last month arrested seven men, including a Bolivian national, on suspicion of robbing a home in Yokohama City earlier this year, reports TBS News (Nov. 25).
According to police, the ringleaders of the caper were Takeo Kevin Liu Baka, a 29-year-old Bolivian national who claims to be an electrical equipment worker, and Yudai Ishida, a 24-year-old office worker from Machida City, Tokyo.
At around 5:10 a.m. on July 28, the pair worked with five youths, aged 16 and 17, to stealing a safe containing approximately 7 million yen in cash from the home.
They also injured a male resident, aged in his 60s, with what appeared to be pepper spray.
Upon the arrests of the suspects on suspicion of robbery resulting in injury and trespassing on November 25, police did not reveal whether they admit to the allegations.
Tokuryu
Police are investigating the crime as being the work of an anonymous, mobile crime group (tokuryu).
According to police, Baka and Ishida gave instructions to the five boys via a highly confidential communication app.
Their arrests were made possible after security cameras captured some of the boys carrying the stolen safe into a car and making their escape. The boys are also believed to have had a stun gun at the scene.
Ishida was also arrested in October for breaking into a home in Odawara City and stealing 34 watches and other items worth a total of approximately 3.4 million yen. That case is currently pending.
