Society

Man Stabs Acquaintance, Torches Car on Expressway

OSAKA, Nov 16 (News On Japan) - A company employee was arrested on November 3rd in Kashiwara City, Osaka Prefecture, after allegedly setting fire to his car on the Nishi-Meihan Expressway, where police later discovered the burned body of a man believed to have been in his 50s or 60s, prompting investigators to consider the possibility of murder in addition to arson.

According to police, the suspect, 37-year-old Tatsuya Hamada, is accused of setting fire to the passenger car he had been driving, and in voluntary questioning prior to his arrest he reportedly told investigators that he crashed the vehicle into a guardrail before pouring gasoline inside and igniting it, leading officers to find the charred remains of a man in the back seat.

Hamada has admitted to the arson allegations, and according to investigative sources he also stated before his arrest that he stabbed an acquaintance with a knife and killed him before disposing of the weapon, and police are now pursuing the case with murder also in view.

Source: YOMIURI

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