TOKYO (TR) – Prior to his arrest on suspicion of fraud, Yoshiyuki Ichihashi, 31, enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle.
As conveyed by TV Asahi (Aug. 22), Ichihashi started living in an apartment in a wealthy area of the capital’s Minato Ward several years ago. To get around town, he used a luxury automobile from a foreign maker.
However, Ichihashi’s lavish existence was put on hold last month after Tokyo Metropolitan Police accused him and two other persons of swindling 1 million yen in cash from a woman, aged in her 80s and living in Ibaraki Prefecture.
In carrying out the ruse in June, a member of the ring posed as a seller of corporate bonds in getting the victim to hand over the cash, according to the Nerima Police Station.
“I just have feelings of sorrow,” Ichihashi’s father told the network. When asked what he would like to ask his son, the man replied, “I’d ask, ‘Why’d you do it?’ That’s all.”
In raiding the headquarters of the ring, police seized a list containing about 3,000 names and telephone numbers that were used to target victims. Ichihashi, the presumed leader of the ring, is also believed to have utilized software that allowed him unauthorized access to about 20 million telephone numbers.
The operation has collected more than 120 million yen from victims, police said.
