AICHI (TR) – A Chinese man in custody for allegedly dumping the corpse of a woman along a riverbed in Nishio City last year met the victim online, police sources have revealed, reports the Asahi Shimbun (June 14).
Police last week accused the suspect, a 31-year-old employee for a convenience store chain, of dumping the body of Wang Jing, 37, also a Chinese national, along the Yahagifuru River at some point last year. The body was inside a suitcase.
On the arrest of the suspect on suspicion of abandoning a corpse on June 13, police did not reveal whether he admits to the allegations.
In early October, a worker cutting grass tipped off police about the red suitcase, which was found on an embankment. The corpse was found packed inside with the hands grabbing the knees, police said previously.
Upon the discovery, the body of Wang had turned skeletal. An identification card found inside the suitcase was used to confirm her identity. She was believed to have died up to 3 months before the discovery. The cause of death is not known.
In the latest development, police said that the suspect got to know Wang through WeChat, a Chinese messaging and social media app.
The suspect came to Japan in 2008. For the convenience store chain, he traveled to stores in Nishio and the Mikawa region to provide management advice right up until he was arrested earlier this month.
Wang most recently arrived in Japan on June 1, when she stayed at a private residence in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro area, police said previously.
Her last correspondence with her brother was on July 4. In early August, her brother lodged a missing persons report with police.
