Mito Murder Suspect Planted Tracking Tag on Victim’s Car

Mar 01, 2026 | News On Japan

MITO, Mar 01, 2026 (News On Japan) - A man indicted on murder charges over the killing of a 31-year-old nailist in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, is suspected of attaching a location-tracking “lost-item tag” to the victim’s car, investigative sources said, with police planning to rearrest him on March 2nd on suspicion of violating the anti-stalking law.

Takumi Ouchi, 28, a company employee from Shirosato, Ibaraki Prefecture, was indicted on February 10th on charges of murdering his former partner, Haruka Komatsumoto, 31, at her apartment in Mito on December 31st last year.

Investigators had previously learned that Ouchi allegedly sent a stuffed toy containing a location-tracking tag to Komatsumoto’s family home before the incident. Subsequent interviews with investigative sources revealed that he is also believed to have attached a similar tracking tag to the exterior of Komatsumoto’s car.

Ibaraki Prefectural Police are preparing to rearrest Ouchi as early as March 2nd on suspicion of violating the Stalker Regulation Law, as authorities continue to examine the circumstances leading up to the killing.

Source: TBS

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