TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 47-year-old police sergeant for allegedly leaking confidential raid information to the operator of an illegal gambling ring, allowing the suspects to vanish before officers arrived, reports Jiji Press (July 8).
Ayumu Kitamura, an officer assigned to the Community Safety Division at the Honjo Police Station, was arrested on the Wednesday on suspicion of breaching confidentiality under the Local Public Service Act. Police also arrested 66-year-old Takayuki Akazawa, the alleged operator of the gambling den, for instigating the leak.
Authorities have not disclosed whether the two men have admitted to the charges.
Operation vanished
The breach occurred in mid-May of last year. According to police, another prefectural police force had notified Tokyo headquarters of their plan to dispatch investigators to scout roughly 10 locations across Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture ahead of coordinated raids.
Because one of the targeted locations fell under the jurisdiction of the Honjo Police Station, Kitamura caught wind of the operation. He allegedly tipped off Akazawa about the impending search and the addresses of the targeted affiliates.
When investigators from the other prefecture arrived at the location later that month to conduct their preliminary checks, the gambling operation had completely vanished.
Love nest
In a scandalous twist, investigators also revealed that for over a year leading up to this April, Kitamura had been using a Tokyo apartment rented under a third party’s name as a secret love nest to meet with a woman. Police now carefully investigating Kitamura’s relationship with the individual whose name was on the lease.
“This is an absolutely inexcusable act for a police officer, and it is extremely regrettable,” said Junichiro Suga, a counselor for the Police Administration Bureau. “We offer our deepest apologies from the bottom of our hearts. We will clarify the facts through a thorough investigation and strive to prevent any recurrence.”
