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Captured fugitive's cycling companion says he did not know fellow cyclist was on nationwide wanted l

Oct 01 (Japan Times) - A 30-year-old man recaptured after escaping from a police station in Osaka Prefecture in mid-August had likely been traveling on a stolen bicycle with another man who was unaware of who he was, police said Sunday.

Junya Hida was with a 44-year-old man who had been traveling by bicycle across Japan when he was arrested at a roadside rest area Saturday after having been on the run for nearly seven weeks, according to police.

He had allegedly stolen food when he was arrested at the shop in Yamaguchi Prefecture, hundreds of kilometers west of Osaka, after arriving there on a bicycle he stole in Osaka. He was arrested again Sunday by the Osaka Prefectural Police on suspicion of aggravated escape.

Hida had been with the man on a cycling trip since the two met about three weeks ago in Ehime Prefecture, though they did not spend all the time together.

The man told Osaka police that he was aware of the news of a suspect escaping from a police station in Osaka but did not know that the person he was with was Hida.

According to the police, the man said he had not invited Hida to tag along with him on the trip and had found his company “annoying.”

Also Sunday, police in Yamaguchi Prefecture arrested the 44-year-old man on suspicion of stealing a bicycle in Wakayama Prefecture.

The Osaka police are investigating Hida’s movements since fleeing and other details about his escape. He has refused to answer questions since being recaptured, the police said.

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