Man who broke out of Osaka quarantine hotel ‘wanted to see friend in Nara’

Jun 30, 2021 | News On Japan

Jun 30, 2021 (tokyoreporter.com) - A man who broke out of a quarantine hotel in Osaka City last week was apprehended on Wednesday, police have revealed, reports Kansai TV (June 30).

“I wanted to see a friend in Nara Prefecture.” Yokuku Ryu, 20, told police upon his apprehension.

On June 18, police arrested Ryu, a Korean national of no known occupation, over the alleged possession of kakuseizai, or stimulant drugs in Osaka City. He then tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The next day, Ryu entered the APA Hotel Higashi Umeda Minami Morimachi Ekimae. However, he could not be reached in his room on the sixth floor beginning on the morning of June 22.

At around 1:00 p.m., a nurse entered his room and found him to be missing. He is believed to have fled through a window after smashing the glass.

On June 25, police obtained a warrant for the arrest of Ryu. At around 9:40 a.m. on Wednesday, police apprehended him at a toilet for Imafuku-Tsurumi Station in Osaka City’s Joto Ward.

A representative of the Osaka police defend the use of the hotel, saying it was necessary for the suspect to receive treatment. “As a result, the suspect escaped, so I take this seriously and want to use this case in future investigations,” the representative said.

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