YouTube Vigilantes Busted for Alleged Extortion

Jan 19, 2024 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Two YouTubers known as 'R Detectives (R探偵)', who specialize in recording videos where they apprehend individuals they suspect of illicit activities like voyeurism, were arrested on Tuesday for attempting to extort cash from an alleged voyeur.

Masaaki Sato (34) and Takahito Takai (33), who posted a video on YouTube capturing their attempt to detain the man they accused of voyeurism, now face legal repercussions.

The duo were involved in a scuffle with a man they accused of filming for YouTube near Yokohama Station in August 2023. During the altercation, they allegedly demanded hush money, claiming, "I hurt my wrist," "We could go to the police, but you wouldn't want that, would you?" and "How much will you pay for damages?"

While bringing another man they accused of voyeurism to a police box in Kanagawa on Tuesday, Sato and Takai discovered that arrest warrants had been issued against them and were arrested on the spot.

Social media has been critical of these 'citizen's arrest YouTubers', with comments like, "These guys aren't just citizen's arrest YouTubers, they're extortionists greedy for money," and "It seems more common for YouTubers to get arrested themselves rather than arrest others."

Despite attempting to extort money from the alleged voyeur, when they realized they wouldn’t succeed, Sato and Takai handed him over to the police and uploaded the video on YouTube, presumably for profit.

In response to the investigation, Sato denied the allegations, stating, "I never demanded money from anyone."

The police are investigating several other potential crimes associated with these individuals.

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Source: FNN

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