KYOTO –
The Kyoto Prefectural Police department on Thursday arrested a 61-year-old former officer of the police department and a woman on suspicion of defrauding an elderly dementia patient out of her bank cash card and passbook.
The former officer, Masato Takeuchi, is a board member of a Kyoto-based group, mainly comprising former police officers, that provides daily assistance to elderly dementia patients. Prefectural police believe that Takeuchi and Hiromi Ishichi, a company worker, withdrew several million yen in cash using the victim’s bank card.
Police allege that on March 7, the suspects took the bank card and passbook from a 96-year-old woman who uses the assistance group’s service, saying that they would manage her money.
The assistance group offers a service in which group members pick up elderly dementia patients who are held for protection at police stations or police boxes, on behalf of their families.
On its website, the group vows to “contribute to the creation of a local community where elderly people can live with peace of mind, in cooperation with the police.”
Takeuchi previously worked in a division of the Kyoto police department dealing with theft. After retiring in spring 2023, he and another former police officer founded the assistance group.
The latest incident came to light after family members of the victim consulted the police department in June.
AloJapan.com