Aichi Prefectural Police on Sunday applied fresh charges of murder and robbery to two persons in custody for allegedly dumping the body of a woman found buried in the mountains of Shiga Prefecture, a crime that could have been motivated by an attempt to gain the victim's virtual currency bitcoin , reports NHK
Police have accused Ichiya Nishida, a 20-year-old resident of Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture, and an 18-year-old boy from Shiga, in the allegedly murder of Miyuki Noda, 53, whose body was found buried in a forested area of the town of Taga in late July.
Both suspects have declined to comment on the allegations.
According to a previous report, Nishida had met Noda, a resident of Nagoya, at a seminar about virtual currencies. On June 18, she disappeared following a different seminar in Kasugai City, Aichi. That night, she was seen boarding a vehicle registered to Nishida at JR Ogaki Station in Gifu.
On July 30, police found Noda's smartphone and bag during a search of the vehicle and residence of Nishida. The body of Noda was found buried the following day. Police then arrested the suspects on suspicion of abandoning the body of Noda.
Respiratory failure
The results of an autopsy revealed the cause of death of Noda to be respiratory failure brought about by pressure applied to the neck.
In early July, Nishida is believed to have posed as Noda online in obtaining the virtual currency bitcoin owned by her and valued at more than 100,000 yen. Police suspect that Noda was killed for financial gain.
