SAITAMA (TR) – In recent days, law enforcement divisions in Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture have arrested multiple members of crime ring who are suspected of carrying out four break-ins, thefts and robberies across the region.
Over the course of the investigation, Tokyo and Saitama police division have found that the crimes were conducted by members who were assembled via dubious part-time job ads found on social media, reports Nippon News Network (Oct. 5).
In the latest apprehension, police have accused Noriyuki Kawasaki, 29, of robbery and assault.
On September 28, Kawasaki is suspected of conspiring with accomplices to use a crowbar to break a window of a house in Nerima Ward. After entering, they injured a man in his 50s and his son, aged in his 20s. “Give us your money, give us your valuables,” one of the perpetrators said.
After stealing a total of 1.2 million yen worth of items, including a luxury wristwatch and necklace, they attempted to flee.
Shunki Endo was apprehended red-handed by nearby residents as he left the house, while Eiji Okazaki, 27, was arrested by police officers on alert in the area. Endo told police that five suspects had arrived at the home by car prior to the crime.
Police believe Kawasaki acted as the lookout for the incident. The cash and wristwatch have not been found.
Upon his arrest, Kawasaki said he had answered an ad for “part-time work with same-day payment” the day before the incident. Endo made a similar claim upon his arrest. Okazaki has chosen to remain silent.
“I’ve got one hidden in a patch of grass”
On October 1, three suspects, including 43-year-old Takashi Kaido, allegedly broke into a house in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, tied up an 85-year-old man with adhesive tape and stole about 80,000 yen in cash and a credit card.
Three days later, Yusuke Yasuda, 23, was then indicted on suspicion of attempted fraud for allegedly attempting to use that credit card to make a purchase.
Previously, Yasuda had seen an ad for “high-paying jobs” on social media. He was then directed to the highly confidential app Signal, where he began communicating with a person in charge.
“I’ve got one hidden in a patch of grass in Tokyo,” the person on Signal wrote regarding the credit card to be used to purchase a Louis Vuitton bag valued at up to 300,000 yen.
The person who gave him instructions then pointed him to a pawn shop in the Kabukicho red-light distrcit, and told him to buy a Louis Vuitton bag. However, he was unable to pay and fled when the store after clerk asked him to confirm some details.
Wanted
A person wanted in the Tokorozawa break-in and robbery is 24-year-old Rikiya Morita. He remains on the run.
According to investigators, immediately after the incident, Morita got into a car and traveled to JR Shin-Kodaira Station in Kodaira City, Tokyo.
From there, he took a taxi to Higashimurayama City, Tokyo, where he stayed for about 10 hours. He then took another taxi to another location, but his whereabouts after that are unknown.
Police are attempting to track his movements and calling for the provision of eyewitness information.
Kokubunji
One of the suspects in the Tokorozawa case, 24-year-old Seijun Sato, said that he was involved in another incident in Kokubunji, a Tokyo suburb.
The day before the Tokorozawa incident, on September 30, a robbery and assault incident occurred in Kokubunji, located about 11 kilometers south of Tokorozawa.
In that case, a group of men broke into the home of a woman in her 60s who lives alone. While beating and seriously injuring her, they stole several million yen worth of cash. They then fled.
While talking to a “commander” via confidential chat app, the men reportedly threatened the woman, saying, “Tell me your cash card PIN number. If you keep this up, we’ll bury you in the mountains.”
The following day, the three suspects in the Tokorozawa case were arrested. “I couldn’t escape because he told me he’d kill me if I ran away,” and one of them is said to have been involved in the Kokubunji incident.
According to investigators, Sato had been communicating with the commander, and received instructions from an account with the same name in the Kokubunji and Tokorozawa incidents.
Morita is also believed to have participated in the Kokubunji case, according to Fuji News Network (Oct. 4).
Saitama City
The fourth case took place on September 18, when robbers, including 34-year-old Yuma Yahagi, broke into a house in Saitama City’s Nishi Ward and tied up and assaulted two residents, one in her 80s and the other in her 60s. They fled after grabbing approximately 100,000 yen in cash and other valuables.
Thus far, Saitama police have arrested Yahagi and three other perpetrators. “I applied for a high-paying part-time job on social media,” one of them said. “I was told about a job that was different from what was advertised, but I sent a photo of my ID and couldn’t turn back. I didn’t receive any payment.”
