TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested two 19-year-old males in connection with a violent, brazen daylight robbery in Katsushika Ward where assailants made off with approximately 53 million yen worth of gold bullion, reports NHK (May 25).
The two suspects, whose names have been withheld due to their age, were tracked down and arrested in Tochigi and Hiroshima prefectures. Both face charges of robbery resulting in injury.
According to police, the attack occurred on the afternoon of April 28 on a street in the Higashi-Shinkoiwa residential area. Four men in their 40s and 50s were attempting to arrange the sale of roughly two kilograms of gold when they were suddenly ambushed by a trio of attackers.
The assailants punched and kicked the victims before spraying them with a substance resembling tear gas. They then snatched a backpack containing the gold and fled the scene. The victims sustained injuries ranging from minor to severe, including significant head trauma.
While police have not formally disclosed whether the suspects have admitted to the charges, one of the 19-year-olds reportedly told investigators, “I applied for a dark part-time job (yami-baito).”
Tokyo police have arrested two teenage boys after blinding men with pepper spray in a 53 million yen gold heist in Tokyo in April (X)Amid angry shouts
Security camera footage captured the entirety of the chilling five-minute heist. At around 1:30 p.m., the four victims are seen rendezvousing with a man dressed in dark clothing. After the man bows in greeting, he briefly operates his cell phone — an apparent signal.
Moments later, two accomplices, including one wearing a white shirt and a cap, close in on the group. Just two minutes into the encounter, the footage shows one of the victims, clad in blue, lying on the ground bleeding.
Amid angry shouts of “Hey!” echoing down the street, the suspect in white is seen violently yanking the gray backpack from a victim before the trio sprints away down an eastward alleyway.
Detectives suspect the attack was orchestrated by a tokuryu crime syndicate that had precise prior intelligence regarding the lucrative gold transaction. Members of such a syndicate give and receive orders via smartphone apps.
Police are currently hunting for the remaining suspect and investigating the broader criminal network behind the plot.
AloJapan.com