CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested a 47-year-old man who used to work at a hotel in Ichihara City over the alleged murder and robbery of a front desk clerk earlier this month.
On November 1, Atsushi Egawa is suspected of murdering employee Hitomi Saeki, 56, at the hotel in Ichihara City by slashing her neck with a knife. He also stands accused of stealing approximately 12,000 yen in cash, reports NHK (Nov. 13).
During police questioning, Egawa admitted to the charges. “There is no doubt that I killed the woman and stole her cash,” Egawa was quoted.
Egawa, who was indicted on Thursday, used to work at the hotel and was a colleague of Saeki.
At the time of the incident, Saeki was working alone. At around 7:30 a.m., the female manager of the hotel found Saeki collapsed at the front desk.
According to police, her wrists had been tied and her face beaten. She also had a wound to her neck that appeared to have been made with a knife. Emergency personnel arriving at the scene later confirmed her dead.
Investigations so far have shown that the payment machine in the hotel guest rooms was broken, but the cash was left behind.
In addition, Saeki’s wallet and other items were left behind. Cash and cash cards were also left at the scene without being stolen.
However, further investigations revealed that the approximately 12,000 yen in cash, believed to have been stolen by Egawa, had been stored at the front desk.
The security camera near the front desk had a towel wrapped around it so that it could not film. But Egawa emerged as a suspect based on footage from other security cameras positioned near the crime scene.
The investigation is ongoing with police believing Egawa committed the crime in order to steal the hotel’s sales proceeds.
