TOKYO (TR) – Three people were are suspected in the swindling some 200 million yen from victims nationwide by claiming they could enjoy priority for residence at new elderly care homes, police said on Wednesday.
Ryosuke Kanezaki, 28, Ryunosuke Takizawa, 26, and their accomplice have been arrested for allegedly robbing a woman in her 80s from Hiroshima Prefecture of 2.5 million yen by claiming she was eligible for priority rights to live at a new nursing home if she paid the money, reports TV Asahi (Mar. 15).
Kanezaki and Takizawa were quoted as saying they “had nothing to say” without admitting or denying the charges, while the other suspect has admitted to the allegations, NHK reported (Mar. 15).
The suspects sent the money to a different apartment from their headquarters and collected it via a delivery box, Tokyo Metropolitan Police said.
Some 6,000 addresses of elderly citizens were found at their headquarters.
Police are now investigating whether the group is tied to similar ruses involving priority at nursing homes that have resulted in confirmed damage of 200 million yen nationwide since October 2016.
