TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 15-year-old high school girl and four 18-year-old men for allegedly beating and robbing a man in a “honey trap” extortion scheme in Shibuya Ward, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Sep. 2).
The five suspects are accused of colluding to assault and rob a man in his 20s on a street in the Dogenzaka entertainment district at around 2:00 a.m. on June 13, according to police.
Investigators say the four men lay in wait outside a hotel. When the victim emerged with the 15-year-old girl, the group ambushed him, demanding, “Pay up, it’s settlement money.”
The teens then threatened the man, yelling, “She’s 15 years old, what are you going to do about it?” before subjecting him to a barrage of punches and kicks. The group made off with 300,000 yen in cash, leaving the victim with injuries that required approximately two weeks to heal.
Upon their arrest on suspicion of robbery resulting in injury, all five suspects admitted to the charges. They reportedly told police, “We wanted money to play with.”
Police revealed conflicting accounts regarding how the two initially met. The teenage girl, a resident of Kasama City in Ibaraki Prefecture, claims the man approached her and that she explicitly told him she was 15. The victim, however, insists the girl initiated contact and that he had no idea she was a minor.
Highlighting the premeditated nature of the trap, investigators discovered that prior to the attack, one of the 18-year-old suspects had searched the internet for phrases including “going to a hotel with a minor” and “settlement money.” Police are continuing to investigate the detailed circumstances surrounding the incident.
