TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly ordering a boy to rob a convenience store in Hachioji City, reports TV Asahi (Feb. 12).
On February 3, the boy, 19, wielded a crowbar when he entered the store and threatened a male clerk. He then fled the scene with 128,000 yen in cash.
According to police, Jukiya Kotachibana used the app Telegram to instruct the boy to carry out the crime.
Upon his arrest, Kotachibana denied the allegations. “I do not recall [the matter],” he told police.
After an examination of security camera footage, police arrested the boy. The course of the investigation then led them to Kotachibana.
Kotachibana wrote on Twitter that he had “high income work available.” After the boy responded, he traveled from Fukuoka Prefecture to Tokyo to carry out the crime.
