Society

Police Imposter Scams Elderly Woman

OSAKA, Aug 28 (News On Japan) - A dreadlocked man with a muscular build has been arrested and indicted on charges tied to special fraud after allegedly posing as a police officer.

The defendant is Lebana Zongia Ezekiel, 23, a self-described martial artist and a citizen of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Prosecutors allege that Ezekiel told a woman in her 80s in Osaka Prefecture that her bank cards were being misused and needed to be replaced, then stole three cards and withdrew 1.22 million yen from an ATM.

According to investigators, the victim trusted him because he presented a business card that read 'Osaka Prefectural Police Sakai Police Station, Criminal Investigation Division 2, Crime Countermeasures Unit, Police Officer Daniel Honda.' Ezekiel is accused of using the fictitious identity 'Daniel Honda' to pass himself off as an officer.

Authorities say similar tactics were used in other cases, including posing as a Financial Services Agency official, and the total damage is believed to be around 3.9 million yen.

Police are investigating whether Ezekiel responded to so-called 'underground job' solicitations and then carried out the crimes.

Source: FNN

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