IBARAKI (TR) – Law enforcement in multiple prefectures worked together to arrest a Ugandan scrapyard operator and his associate who are suspected in a massive auto theft ring.
Police believe they are responsible for dismantling and exporting hundreds of stolen Toyota Hiace vans, reports Nippon News Network (June 10).
According to police, Robert Katumba, 54, and a Nigerian national, 46, are accused of receiving a stolen Toyota Hiace van at a dismantling yard in the town of Oarai in February, fully aware that the vehicle had been obtained illegally.
Their arrests follow the apprehension of Tsukasa Fukaura and another man, who are accused of carrying out the actual vehicle thefts. Investigators revealed that Fukaura’s team would steal the vans under the cover of darkness and deliver them directly to Katumba’s yard overnight.
While authorities have not disclosed whether the four suspects have admitted to the allegations, the scale of the operation appears staggering.
Police suspect that since the beginning of 2024, Fukaura and his accomplice stole more than 300 Hiace vans across the Kanto region. Katumba’s group is believed to have received the stolen vehicles, dismantled them at the Ibaraki yard, and shipped the parts overseas. Investigation into the smuggling network is ongoing.
