FUKUOKA (TR) – Police have arrested a 23-year-old wanted man in Hyogo Prefecture for his alleged role in a violent, 4.1-million-yen robbery at a Fukuoka City grocery store after he was discovered working under a fake name, reports FBS Fukuoka TV (Oct. 3).
Construction worker Nariki Okuda is accused of robbery resulting in injury and trespassing.
According to police, Okuda and his accomplices stormed a grocery store in Hakozaki, Higashi Ward, at around 8:00 p.m. on August 14. Armed with a knife, the perpetrators threatened an employee and made off with approximately 4.1 million yen in cash.
During the heist, a female customer fell and bruised her knee while frantically attempting to flee the scene.
Photo released
Authorities released Okuda’s photograph to the public on October 1 in a nationwide appeal for information.
The breakthrough came the very next day, when a company in Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, contacted authorities to report that one of their employees closely resembled the wanted fugitive. Police swooped in and arrested Okuda shortly after midnight on October 3.
Investigators revealed that Okuda had been hiding in plain sight, working at the company since September 17 under the alias “Nariki Tanaka.” Police have not disclosed whether he has admitted to the allegations.
Two other suspects have already been taken into custody over the heist. Investigators believe Okuda and one of the suspects physically carried out the robbery, while the third man acted as the getaway driver.
The trio were completely unacquainted prior to the crime and are believed to have been recruited as disposable pawns through yami-baito (illegal dark part-time jobs) circulating online.
Police are continuing their investigation to track down the masterminds who orchestrated the robbery.
