TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested three people accused of scamming a man out of more than 2.4 million yen after luring him to a fake bar in Shinjuku Ward via a dating app, reports Fuji News Network (Aug. 26).
The suspects include Daiki Kutsuzawa, a 32-year-old unemployed resident of Bunkyo Ward, and Manika Matsubara, a 23-year-old unemployed resident of Shinjuku Ward.
According to police, the trio used a matching app in April to target a man in his 30s. The victim was lured to a rental space in Shinjuku that had been disguised as a restaurant and bar. Once there, he was slapped with an exorbitant bill and made to pay over 2.4 million yen for food and drinks.
Investigators allege that Kutsuzawa catfished the victim by posing as a woman on the dating app to exchange messages and set up the rendezvous. When the time came for the actual date, Matsubara showed up in person to play the part.
Upon her arrest, Matsubara denied the allegations, reportedly telling officers, “I don’t remember.”
Kutsuzawa had already been arrested and indicted for defrauding another man using the exact same scheme.
Police suspect the group operated an organized bottakuri (rip-off) ring, rotating its members and abusing rental rooms in Shinjuku to continuously fleece unsuspecting men.
Authorities believe the network has swindled victims out of a total of approximately 23 million yen.
