TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 24-year-old woman and three others for allegedly extorting a man she met on a dating app by luring him to a fake bar and extorting him out of nearly 150,000 yen, reports Fuji News Network (Oct. 24).
Himawari Watanabe is accused of targeting a man in his 20s through a matching app, sending him a message that read, “Let’s go drinking.” She then guided the victim to what appeared to be a bar in Toshima Ward, but was actually a temporary rental space set up specifically to execute the scam.
Inside the room, two accomplices were waiting in disguise. Kazuki Tokuda, 27, played the role of a kitchen staff member, while 36-year-old Yuta Okabe posed as floor staff.
Once the trap was set, Watanabe proposed playing a drinking game. The game was rigged to ensure the victim lost, forcing him to down dozens of alcoholic beverages.
After roughly two hours of forced drinking, the group presented the man with a bill for 142,000 yen.
When the victim was unable to cover the cost, Okabe escorted him to a nearby ATM and made him withdraw his remaining bank balance of 29,000 yen. Okabe then allegedly threatened the man, telling him, “Borrow from a consumer lender if you have to, just pay.”
The victim complied, borrowing 101,000 yen on the spot and handing the cash over to the scammers.
Recent news footage showed Watanabe walking with her head bowed, surrounded by investigators in heavy winds as she was taken into custody.
During police questioning, Tokuda and Okabe partially denied the allegations against them. Watanabe has refused to speak to investigators.
