OSAKA (TR) – Police in Osaka City have arrested a 30-year-old man and an accomplice who allegedly beat and robbed a man of 5.5 million yen in cash under the guise of a narcotics transaction, reports Mainichi Broadcasting System (July 13).
Tatsuhiko Shimizu and his 23-year-old accused co-conspirator, Yudai Yamashita, are suspected of attacking a 24-year-old man on a street Miyakojima Ward on June 13.
The assailants allegedly beat the victim with a baton-like weapon, inflicting serious injuries, before fleeing with a bag containing the massive sum of cash.
According to police, the suspects arranged to meet the victim under the pretense of a “cocaine deal.” While conducting a purported “body check” on the victim, the men suddenly placed him in a chokehold and initiated the violent assault.
Investigators believe several other accomplices were involved in the plot. Police are continuing their investigation on the suspicion that the robbery was orchestrated by a tokuryu ring, whose members give and receive orders via smartphone apps.
