Japanese police arrested seven individuals on Saturday on suspicion of stealing three suitcases containing a total of ?423 million in cash from a group of people in Tokyo in January.
Among the people arrested are Jinryu Kano, 21, a senior member of a group affiliated with Yamaguchi-gumi, a major organized crime syndicate, Yuto Ito, 27, a key member of a group related to the Sumiyoshi-kai syndicate, Takemitsu Fukuhara, 48, a high-ranking member of a group associated with Kyokuto-kai, also a major crime syndicate, and Koji Koike, 47.
The Metropolitan Police Department¡¯s organized crime control division searched more than 10 locations, including a Tokyo office of the group to which Kano belongs, on Saturday, seizing about 20 items, including about ?27.5 million in cash and smartphones.
About three hours after the robbery incident, a group carrying cash worth about ?190 million was attacked at a parking lot at Tokyo¡¯s Haneda Airport.
The Metropolitan Police Department¡¯s organized crime control division is investigating whether the two incidents are connected.
The seven arrested individuals allegedly conspired to steal the suitcases on a street in Tokyo¡¯s Taito Ward at around 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 29. A 43-year-old man was assaulted when the suspects fled the scene.
According to sources including the MPD division, the seven suspects gathered at a park in Tokyo¡¯s Itabashi Ward around 8 p.m. that day and then moved to Taito Ward to commit the robbery.
Koike and Kano, who drove the getaway vehicle and the vehicle the suspects switched to, respectively, are believed to have directed the crime, while Ito and two others committed the robbery. The remaining two, including Fukuhara, are suspected to have procured the vehicles.
The Haneda incident occurred in the early hours of Jan. 30. A group of four in a car approached a man and three others carrying cash, and assaulted them. The group fled without stealing anything.
Two of the four victims were later robbed of about ?51 million in Hong Kong. One of them was arrested by Hong Kong police, along with other individuals, and later indicted.
The victims of the Taito Ward and Haneda cases told police that they were transporting cash, obtained partly through the trade of gold, to Hong Kong to exchange the money, according to investigative sources.
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