PHILIPPINES (TR) – Authorities here have apprehended another male Japanese national who is suspected member of the so-called “Luffy” fraud ring.
The arrest of Takuya Hoshino, 23, is fourth made by authorities in the Manila this year, reports Nippon News Network (Apr. 23). On Wednesday, Philippine authorities apprehended Hoshino at a house in the capital.
The Luffy group is named after the popular manga for boys. It specializes in tokushu sagi, which is a type of fraud carried out on the telephone by a caller impersonating an authority figure or a victim’s relative.
Police had been searching for Hoshino after an arrest warrant was issued for him and accomplices. They are allegedly impersonated police officers, stole bank cash cards from elderly people and illegally withdrew more than 20 million yen in cash from accounts.
Hoshino is believed to have committed specialized fraud from the Philippines to Japan under the direction of masterminds calling themselves Luffy.
On January 20, authorities announced the apprehension of Yuhei Tsukuda, 28, in Pampanga province. He is also a suspected member of Luffy. Later that month, they arrested 43-year-old Takashi Sasaki, another suspected Luffy member. In February, authorities apprehended Eiji Shigematsu.
Hoshino is expected to be deported to Japan at some point in the future.
