TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested two men for allegedly posing as gang members in their attempt to extort an apparel shop in the fashionable Harajuku area, reports Nippon News Network (May 27).
Ryohei Senda and Akito Ide, both of unknown occupations, are accused of threatening a male store manager of the store, located on Takeshita-dori, in January of this year.
According to police, the pair attempted to shake down the shop for mikajimeryo (protection money), intimidating the victim by boasting, “We are yakuza. This area belongs to us.”
Upon their arrests, both suspects denied the allegations, police said.
The extortion attempt was thwarted when the store manager immediately dialed police. The suspects quickly fled the scene in a passenger car before officers arrived.
Investigators were later able to identify and track down the pair by analyzing security camera footage from the surrounding area.
