SAITAMA (TR) – Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a 26-year-old woman over her suspected involvement in a robbery and injury incident that occurred at a house in Tokorozawa City earlier this year.
According to police, Keiko Muto, a resident of Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City, is believed to be a “fund manager” for a crime ring that has targeted residences in the Kanto area in recent months.
On October 1, three suspects allegedly broke into a house in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, tied up an 85-year-old man with adhesive tape and stole about 160,000 yen in cash and a credit card.
In the latest development, police have accused Muto of trespassing and robbery resulting in injury. “I have no recollection of the incident,” she told police in denying the allegations, according to the Asahi Shimbun (Dec. 3).
Police have arrested a total of six people in connection with the incident, including those who acted as perpetrators and recruiters who met through “illegal part-time jobs” on social media.
Muto’s smartphone had the highly anonymous communication apps Signal and Telegram installed. She was identified based on the analysis of those apps on the smartphones of the six suspects and questioning.
Muto is believed to have managed the stolen cash and other items. After the incident, cash transactions were confirmed in an account managed by her. She is believed to have used that account to pay rewards and necessary funds to the perpetrators and recruiters involved in the robbery.
Police also believe that some of the money from a robbery and assault incident that took place in Kokubunji City, Tokyo, in the early hours of September 30 was also transferred to her account.
