TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested an Uzbek man over the alleged assault and attempted robbery of an elderly woman in Shinjuku Ward last month, reports NHK (Apr. 25).
On March 20, Sardorbek Azimov, 28, allegedly broke into the home of the woman, aged in her 70s, in Okubo. He then jumped atop her and covered her mouth. “Where is your money?” he demanded.
After she resisted, he fled the scene empty-handed. The woman suffered serious injuries that took one month to heal, police said.
Upon his arrest, Azimov admitted to the allegations. Police are continuing the investigation with an eye on the possibility that someone gave Azimov instructions to carry out the crime.
According to police, Azimov emerged as a person of interest after an examination of security camera footage. Three days after the incident, he was arrested for breaking into a vacant house in Nakano Ward.
Azimov came to Japan as an international student in 2018. He applied for refugee status in 2023. He is currently on “provisional release,” a period when detention was temporarily lifted.
