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Tokyo cops make 10th arrest in ¥83 million heist

TOKYO (TR) – Ten arrests later — and the money remains missing.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested another suspect — bringing the total to 10 — for participation in the alleged robbery of more than 80 million yen from two employees of a precious metals dealer in Minato Ward earlier this year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (July 26).

On the afternoon of January 5, two perpetrators came up behind the employees on a road just north of the Tokyo Midtown shopping and office complex in the Akasaka area. “I’ll stab you,” one of the perpetrators threatened while holding a knife.

After beating both victims over the head, the perpetrators snatched a bag containing about 83 million yen in cash and fled in a car driven by a third man. The victims suffered injuries that required between two and three weeks to heal, police said previously.

The latest suspect is Kazuya Asai, a 29-year-old kickboxer living in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture. During questioning, the suspect said he had “no connection” to the incident in denying the allegations.

Kazuya Asai
Kazuya Asai (Twitter)

Yamaguchi-gumi

Through earlier this month, police had arrested nine suspects, including four members of the Yamaguchi-gumi criminal syndicate. Despite the arrests, the location of the money remains unknown.

Police believe several Yamaguchi-gumi members played key roles in the crime by communicating with the other suspects via a social-networking service.

After the incident, the victims told police that they were headed to use the cash to make a purchase of gold bars from a precious metals dealer. The meeting point was supposed to be a residence.

However, police were unable to confirm the existence of the residence, leading them to suspect that the victims had been set up.