FUKUOKA — Police in Fukuoka City have arrested six men on suspicion of confining an 18-year-old man in the trunk of a van.
The rescue made possible only after the victim’s friend tracked the getaway vehicle using a smartphone location-sharing app, reports TV Asahi (May 21).
According to police, an altercation broke out among a group of youths at a park in Fukuoka City on the night of May 18. During the dispute, six men allegedly forced the 18-year-old victim into the cargo area of a minivan and drove away.
Police later arrested 28-year-old Kota Murakami and five other men in connection with the confinement. Police say four of the six suspects are currently denying the allegations.
During questioning, Murakami offered a dismissive explanation for the incident. “The man who was picking a fight with us drank a massive amount of alcohol and passed out, so we just laid him down in the trunk,” he told investigators.
As the incident unfolded, an acquaintance of the victim witnessed the abduction and immediately gave chase in his own car. Utilizing a smartphone app that shared the victim’s live GPS coordinates, the friend tracked the van to a location approximately 20 kilometers away from the initial scene.
Upon locating the vehicle, the friend enlisted the help of a bystander to contact authorities.
“A man has been kidnapped. I was asked to help,” the bystander told emergency dispatchers. “[Another party] followed the location data to get here. The car is at the scene. We need the police to come.”
Officers rushed to the location and discovered the victim inside the vehicle. He was subsequently transported to a nearby hospital by ambulance.
