KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 25-year-old man over the alleged rape and robbery of a female university student in Sagamihara City earlier this year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Apr. 5).
In the early morning hours of March 11, Yuta Masuo, a company employee, intruded into the Minami Ward residence of the girl, 19, and is alleged to have sexually assaulted her. He then went to a convenience store and withdrew 50,000 yen in cash from her account.
Masuo surfaced as a person of interest after an examination of security camera footage. Police believe that the suspect has targeted multiple other women, aged in their teens to 20s, in separate incidents over the past seven years.
Masuo, who has been accused of coerced intercourse and robbery, admits to the allegations. “I’ve done this other times,” the suspect was quoted by police.
During the incident in March, the woman first noticed the suspect, whose face was covered by a bandanna, in her bathroom. “If you remove [the bandanna], I’ll kill you,” he reportedly said before the alleged sexual assault took place.
