Police in Japan have arrested four people in their 20s suspected of being the masterminds behind a robbery that caused the injury of a woman in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, last year.
In October 2024, a woman in her 50s was attacked at her home in Ichikawa City, and her possessions, including her car and cash, were stolen.
The four ringleaders have been named as Fukuchi Hiroto, Saito Takuya, Murakami Karura and Watanabe Shota. The four suspects are believed to have given orders to the perpetrators of the crime in Chiba, who have already been arrested by police.
Since August last year, there has been a series of 18 robberies in Tokyo and three nearby prefectures by people recruited online. So far, police have arrested 51 people involved in the crimes.
It is the first time that police have arrested suspects believed to be the masterminds of this series of crimes.
In a news conference, an official of a joint task force of police in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa said they examined about 750 confiscated smartphones, and carried out investigations that were like solving puzzles.
He added the police have been working hard over the past year to respond to the anger of the victims and ease the concerns of the public.
