A 24-year-old man suspected of directing a home robbery in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, in February, in which an elderly couple was attacked and a safe stolen, has been arrested, police said.
Kaito Oikawa is suspected of involvement in the break-in at the home of a couple in their 80s. The intruders struck the husband in the face with a bar-like object and bound his hands and feet before fleeing with a safe and other property.
According to police, Oikawa was one of three people directing the operation, along with Takuya Aisaka, 32, and Yusuke Yamamura, 34, who were arrested in September. Oikawa traveled to the scene in the same car as the others.
He is believed to have issued instructions through a highly encrypted messaging app. Under questioning, he said only, "I will remain silent. I will remain silent about everything."
Police look for higher-ranking figures
Investigators believe the robbery was carried out by a tokuryu — an anonymous, fluid group that comes together for a crime and disperses afterward. Police are also investigating the possibility that someone above the three directed them.