TOKYO (TR) – As a part of a joint investigation, police have arrested two men following their deportation from the Philippines over their alleged involvement in a Cambodia-based fraud ring that swindled millions of yen, reports TV Asahi (Sep. 30).
Yuta Takahashi, 45, and Yuki Sugita, 39, are accused of conspiring with accomplices to defraud a victim out of 2.75 million yen. According to investigators, the group made deceptive phone calls posing as representatives of a nursing care facility to trick their targets into handing over the cash.
The pair had been detained by authorities in the Philippines in April of this year. They were officially taken into custody on Tuesday while aboard an aircraft bound for Narita International Airport.
According to police, the overseas syndicate is extensive, with 35 individuals already arrested in connection with the case. Investigators identified Takahashi as a recruiter for the crime ring, while Sugita operated as a kakeko (caller) who directly contacted victims.
Upon their arrests on suspicion of organized fraud in violation of the Act on Punishment of Organized Crimes, both men reserved their pleas. Takahashi told investigators, “I don’t know,” while Sugita stated, “I will speak later.”
Police are now probing the pair’s potential involvement in a string of other fraud cases connected to the international operation.
