OSAKA (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested four persons for assaulting a man, including pouring boiling liquid over him, during a party in Ibaraki City over the weekend, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Apr. 2).
Between 7:00 p.m. on Friday and 11:00 p.m. the following day, Michiko Tanaka, 38, Kazuhiko Kushiyama, 31, and two other persons allegedly beat and kicked Masanori Okabayashi, 40, at his residence and poured the boiling contents from a nabe pot over him.
The man suffered serious injuries, including burns, an acute subdural hematoma and fractured ribs, according to police.
Tanaka, who has been accused of attempted murder, denies the allegations, saying, “I didn’t do anything.” The other three suspects have generally acknowledged the allegations, police said.
After the incident, the suspects left the victim at his residence. However, they later returned to check on him. When they found him unconscious inside, one of them called an ambulance.
In making the call, the suspect lied about the cause of his condition, saying that “he was involved in a traffic accident,” according to TV Asahi (Apr. 2).
The victim is a former employee of a restaurant managed by Tanaka, police said. It is believed that the incident arose due to a problem connected with the victim’s past employment at the restaurant.