CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested three men for allegedly breaking into a residence in Noda City, beating an elderly resident with a crowbar, and fleeing with a safe containing just 200 yen, reports Nippon News Network (Sep. 17).
The suspects, identified as Takuya Aisaka, Yusuke Yamamura, and a third accomplice, are accused of carrying out the violent home invasion in February of this year.
According to police, the trio broke into the home and targeted the sleeping residents. The men allegedly bound the hands and feet of a man in his 80s before striking him in the head with a crowbar-like object, inflicting injuries that required a week to heal. The suspects also assaulted the man’s wife before fleeing the scene with a safe containing a mere 200 yen in cash.
Investigators believe the three men were recruited to carry out the robbery after applying for yami-baito (dark part-time jobs). The perpetrators allegedly received their orders from an unidentified mastermind via a highly encrypted messaging app.
Police have not disclosed whether the suspects have admitted to the allegations.
Authorities suspect the incident is the work of an anonymous, loosely organized crime syndicate and are continuing their investigation to track down the mastermind who issued the directives.
