TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 21-year-old man for allegedly extorting roughly 3.7 million yen in cash and jewelry from a woman he met on a dating app by boasting about his connections to organized crime, reports TBS News (July 30).
Akito Nakabayashi, an individual of unknown occupation residing in Shinjuku Ward, is accused of threatening the victim on seven separate occasions last month.
According to police, Nakabayashi leveraged the threat of gang violence to control the woman, telling her, “I have acquaintances who are yakuza. If you trust me, I’ll protect you. You know what will happen if you betray me, right?”
The shakedown began almost immediately after Nakabayashi asked the victim to be his girlfriend. Under severe duress, the woman was forced to hand over a necklace and was even driven to borrow money from consumer finance companies to meet his escalating cash demands.
Upon his arrest, Nakabayashi admitted to the extortion charges. He also confessed to a broader pattern of predation, telling investigators, “I have taken money from other women, too.”
Police are currently investigating his involvement in additional crimes, noting that they have already received seven similar complaints from other women.
