2 Vietnamese Men Arrested on Suspicion of Attempted Theft, Overstay; Multi-Prefecture Task Force Investigating Home Burglaries

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:00 JST, May 16, 2024

Two men with Vietnamese citizenship were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of attempted theft and overstaying their visas, said police, who add that they are also investigating possible connections with robberies targeting homes in the mountains in Tochigi, Nagano, Gunma and Fukushima prefectures.

There were several commonalities to how all of the robberies were carried out, such as the victims being tied up in the early hours of the morning.

One of the two arrestees, 25, with an unknown address, is suspected of attempting to withdraw cash in Sano, Tochigi Prefecture, on April 30, using an ATM card belonging to a victim of a robbery that took place in Nikko, Tochigi, in the early morning of the same day, according to a joint investigation team run by the Tochigi, Nagano and Gunma prefectural police. The card had been suspended and he was not able to withdraw the cash. He has denied the allegations.

The other suspect, 23, who was present when the first man was taken into custody, was also arrested on suspicion that he is currently overstaying his visa, in violation of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law.