TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested five individuals for allegedly kidnapping a roadside assistance company president last year and extorting him for cash under the threat of dismemberment, reports Nippon News Network (June 10).
The incident occurred last year on a street in Adachi Ward between approximately 8:00 p.m. on December 10 and 1:00 a.m. the following day. According to police, a female member of the group posed as a customer and lured the victim, a man in his 20s, to the location by falsely claiming her car had broken down.
When the victim arrived, the group allegedly picked a fight, forced him into a vehicle, and held him captive for approximately five hours.
During the confinement, the suspects, including 32-year-old Hokuto Sugimoto, terrorized the man, allegedly telling him, “I’m going to kill you,” and, “I’ll chop you to pieces with a chainsaw.” The group ultimately extorted 70,000 yen in cash from the victim before letting him go.
During police questioning, all five suspects either fully or partially denied the allegations.
Investigators revealed that two of the five suspects are former employees of the victim’s company. Authorities are currently probing the background of the incident to determine if a workplace grievance motivated the brazen trap.
