Tokyo police renew call for help from public in Hachioji triple murder

Aug 05, 2017 | News On Japan

Aug 05, 2017 (tokyoreporter.com) - On the 22nd anniversary of a triple murder at a supermarket in Hachioji City, law enforcement renewed a request for help from the public in solving the brutal crime, reports NHK (July 30).

On Sunday, Yasuhiro Tsuyuki, the chief of detectives of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, placed flowers at the scene of where three female employees of the market were slain during what is believed to have been a botched robbery.

At JR Hachioji Station, which is located near the crime scene, officers also passed out sheets summarizing the incident to pedestrians in an effort to coax persons with relevant information to come forward.

"At the latest, I want to arrest the criminal by this time next year," said Hiroaki Ueno, a chief of an investigative division, according to Nippon News Network (July 30). "I want to free the burden on the bereaved families of the victims, and we are intensifying our efforts."

Shot and killed

On July 30, 1995, an unknown assailant shot and killed three female employees of supermarket Nampei Owada in a second-floor office. Each of the three employees --- Noriko Inagaki, 47, Megumi Yabuki, 17, and Hiromi Maeda, 16 --- were found bound by tape and with gunshot wounds to the head.

A safe containing about 4 million yen showed signs that someone attempted to pry open its door. Since it was known that the employees were unaware of the combination to the safe, it has been speculated that the crime was the result of a failed robbery.

Fingerprints taken from the tape used to tie the victims proved to resemble those of a man who died in 2005. Attempts to connect him to the crime are still being undertaken by police.

Reward

The National Police Agency is currently offering a reward of 6 million yen for information deemed significant in the case. Persons with information in the case are asked to call the Hachioji Police Station at 042-645-0110.

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