KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested five individuals, including the head of a construction firm and former biker gang members, for allegedly defrauding vulnerable residents through a lucrative, unnecessary roof repair scheme, reports Nippon News Network (Sep. 2).
Yu Asagami, the de facto operator of “Miura Construction,” and four accomplices are accused of swindling a victim out of approximately 520,000 yen in 2024.
According to investigators, the group approached the victim with false claims, warning, “The wood on your roof is rotting,” in order to secure the remodeling fee.
The fraudulent operation, which included former bosozoku biker gang members, was highly organized. Police revealed that the group had secured over 600 construction contracts to date, raking in an estimated 320 million yen in sales.
The suspects specifically preyed on vulnerable targets, with the vast majority of their victims being elderly individuals living alone.
During a raid on the group’s operating base, investigators seized a target list containing the names of roughly 1,000 people. Police are continuing to analyze the confiscated materials to uncover the full extent of the syndicate’s crimes.
