A Japanese man who is suspected to have instructed a recent series of robberies across Japan had his girlfriend repeatedly bring defrauded money four years ago from Japan to the Philippines, where he is based.

Japanese police believe that Watanabe Yuki is a member of a group linked to phone scams in Japan and had given instructions from the Philippines in the series of violent robbery cases in Japan.

Tokyo police have already obtained an arrest warrant for Watanabe, who is now being held at an immigration facility in greater Manila, for fraud cases in Japan.

His girlfriend, aged 32, was found to have repeatedly traveled to Manila in 2019 to deliver what are believed to be bundles of cash swindled from victims in Japan to Watanabe.

Police and other sources say the woman was arrested in November 2019 for stealing cash cards from an elderly victim by making phone calls pretending to be a police officer. ...continue reading