TOKYO - A man who was placed on the public wanted list Thursday is suspected of playing a key role in a series of robberies in Tokyo and Saitama.
It was newly revealed that after the incidents, the wandered around western Tokyo and is still on the run.
Dressed in a short-sleeve shirt and shorts with a mask, he appeared to be communicating with someone, holding what looked like a smartphone in his hand. Police identified the suspect as Rikoya Morita (24), who was wanted in connection with a robbery-assault case that took place in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture.
In the early hours of September 1st, four men broke into a house in Tokorozawa City, robbing an elderly couple of approximately 80,000 yen in cash and other items. Morita fled the scene, evading the police officers who arrived.
According to investigators, immediately after the incident, Morita got into a car driven by an unknown individual in Saitama and moved to JR Shin-Kodaira Station in western Tokyo. He then took a taxi to Higashimurayama City, where he stayed for about 10 hours before getting into another taxi to move to an unknown location. His whereabouts remain unclear.
In connection with the case, three other suspects have already been arrested, one of whom reportedly made the following statement to police.
Seishun Sato: 'I'm also responsible for the robbery in Kokubunji City, Tokyo.'
The day before the Tokorozawa incident, a robbery-assault occurred in Kokubunji City, about 11 kilometers to the south. Near the scene of the crime, a man believed to be Morita was spotted in a parking lot. The car found in this parking lot was seized near the scene of the Tokorozawa incident, raising suspicion that Morita had been driving it.
Both Sato and Morita are suspected of being involved in the two robbery-assault cases in Tokorozawa and Kokubunji.
Investigators revealed that Sato had been communicating with a 'mastermind' using a highly secure messaging app. He received instructions from an account with the same name for both the Kokubunji and Tokorozawa incidents.
It was also found that all four perpetrators, including Sato, were wearing earphones during the crime, suggesting they were receiving instructions from the 'mastermind' behind the scenes.
Statements from the arrested perpetrators: 'We sent photos of our IDs through the app, and were told by the mastermind, "If you try to escape, you'll be killed." There was no way to back out.'
In the past month, there have been four robbery-assault cases. While police are investigating their connections, all incidents appear to have been executed by individuals recruited through "underground jobs," with a mastermind directing the crimes.
Regarding a robbery-assault that took place in Saitama City last month, all four perpetrators have been arrested, and one provided the following statement:
One of the Perpetrators: 'I found an ad on social media saying "Driver Jobs - Legit Opportunities," and applied. Before I realized it, I was involved in a robbery.'
Separately from this series of incidents, a man who had previously worked in underground jobs spoke out about being threatened by a crime group.
Man with Underground Job Experience: 'I was involved in forging license plates, scamming on social media, collecting money from fraud victims, and reselling goods.'
The man, who started doing underground jobs in his teens, ended up in a juvenile detention center about two years ago. He said he was lured into the job by an acquaintance who offered a high-paying deal, unaware that it was criminal activity: 'I didn't know it was a crime at the time, so I agreed. Once I did, I had to give them all my personal information. They would say things like, "If you run away, we'll come after you." They threatened to confine or assault those who tried to escape, and leave them in a forest.'
NPO ‘Youwa’ Representative Director, Yukiyasu Shibuya: 'Many young people who get involved in underground jobs are isolated. They often lack parents, suffer from abuse, or live in poverty, with no one to talk to about their problems.'
These young people, deceived or threatened by crime groups, end up trapped in underground jobs and unable to escape.
Yukiyasu Shibuya: 'Since they're driven by the desire for money, they hand over their personal IDs like driver's licenses or My Number cards without hesitation. They get threatened, being told, "Your family will suffer if you back out," which traps them in a cycle of fear and inability to quit.'
Source: TBS
