TOKYO — Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested five men on suspicion of preparing to commit a robbery at a building in the capital.
According to investigators, it is believed to be the latest foiled plot linked to the country’s notorious “yami-baito” (underground part-time job) criminal networks, reports TBS News (Apr. 15).
The suspects, who include Keisuke Sanada, 46, and Yu Yamaguchi, 20, were apprehended after officers found them in the Ueno area in possession of crowbars, fruit knives and other burglary tools on the morning of April 13.
According to investigative sources, the men were plotting to break into a commercial building in the capital to carry out a targeted heist. During questioning, the suspects reportedly admitted to the allegations.
“We were planning to receive a reward for doing it,” one of the men told investigators, confirming they were acting as hired hands.
Subsequent interviews with investigators revealed that the five men arrived sequentially in cars driven by acquaintances from the Osaka area on the day of the attempted robbery.
Tokuryu
Because the five men communicated using the highly secure messaging app Signal, police believe they are members of an anonymous, mobile criminal group, referred to as tokuryu.
In recent years, police have battled a relentless surge in yami-baito crimes, where anonymous masterminds use encrypted messaging apps like Signal to lure desperate or greedy individuals into carrying out high-risk crimes, ranging from violent home invasions to sophisticated fraud.
Authorities are currently analyzing the suspects’ smartphones in an effort to trace the shadowy organizers who orchestrated the planned heist and to determine what valuables the group was targeting.
