Man suspected to be leader of special fraud arrested in Southeast Asia, damage 2.2 billion yen - Metropolitan Police Department

On the 2nd, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Special Investigation Division arrested a suspect, Adult Sasaki (34), whose occupation is unknown, from Kachidoki, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, on suspicion of fraud in a special fraud case believed to have been based in Southeast Asia. Approximately 40 members of the group have already been arrested, and Sasaki is believed to be the leader. It has not been made clear whether he approves or disapproves.

According to the division, Sasaki is the representative of multiple companies, frequently travels to Southeast Asia, and appears to have been making fraudulent calls to Japan and instructing his children from his base there. The damage was confirmed in the four prefectures of Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, and Kanagawa, and it is estimated that there were approximately 500 cases over the three years until November 2025, totaling approximately 2.2 billion yen, and some of it may have gone to organized crime groups.

The suspects were arrested in March 2025 on suspicion of colluding with four people, including a woman in her 90s, in Kodaira City, Tokyo, to steal their cards by making false calls such as ``I need a cash card to receive benefits,'' and then withdrawing a total of 5.6 million yen in cash from an ATM.