Fukuoka Prefectural Police arrested a 55-year-old man on Tuesday after his deportation from the Philippines in connection with a series of grand thefts.
The suspect, Takayuki Kagoshima, had been detained by Philippine immigration authorities since March.
According to the police’s organized crime unit, Kagoshima is believed to be a member of JP Dragon, a Japanese crime syndicate based in the Philippines. He entered the Philippines in November 2022 and stayed there illegally.
Kagoshima was arrested for allegedly conspiring with unknown accomplices to pose as a police officer and called a man on April 18, 2023 in Warabi city, Saitama Prefecture.
Some members of the group claimed there had been an increase in payment card fraud visited the man’s home and took his debit card.
Police say Kagoshima was abroad at the time and may have orchestrated the crime from the Philippines.
JP Dragon is known for its close ties to 40-year-old Kiyoto Imamura, who was arrested and charged on suspicion of masterminding a series of robberies under the alias “Luffy.”
Translated by The Japan Times
This article originally appeared in The New York Times ยฉ 2024 The New York Times Company
