OSAKA (TR) – A 28-year-old man in custody over for allegedly dumping the dismembered corpse of a male land ministry official on a mountain in Higashiosaka City last month has been further accused of murdering the victim.
At around 4:00 p.m. on December 27, Hiroto Oki is alleged to have fatally strangled Takamitsu Kamioka, a 52-year-old official with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Feb. 23).
According to police, the incident took place when the victim came out of his apartment in Osaka City’s Chuo Ward. The suspect also allegedly stole about 50,000 yen in cash, the victim’s cash card and his smartphone.
Regarding his re-arrest on suspicion of robbery and murder on Saturday, Oki has declined to comment, police said.
Knife retrieved from the Dotonbori River
According to police, Oki owed at least 2 million yen to several financial institutions and was struggling to make ends meet. During questioning before his re-arrest, the suspect said, “I had no money, so I had no choice but to kill him.” Police are investigating the possibility that he attacked Kamioka to repay his debts and cover living expenses.
Oki also stated, “After the murder, I removed his clothes, dismembered his body, put it in a plastic bag and stuffed it into a carry bag.”
Based on his statement, police searched the bottom of the Dotonbori River in Chuo Ward and discovered a fruit knife with a 13-centimeter-long blade that is believed to have been used to dismember the body.
As previously reported, police believe that Oki traveled on foot and by train to abandon the body of Kamioka in the mountains of Higashiosaka City later on the evening of December 28. He was accused of abandoning a corpse on February 3.
Repaid his debt
An examination of security camera footage shot in in January of this year revealed a man believed to be Oki withdrawing cash from convenience store ATMs in Osaka and Kyoto using a cash card in Kamioka’s name. There was also evidence that Oki had subsequently repaid debt with the money.
Oki and Kamioka lived in the same apartment building. However, they did not know each other or have any past trouble between them, police said.
Police are now investigating the circumstances that led to Oki targeting Kamioka in the crime.
