Four senior members of a crime ring were indicted Tuesday for orchestrating a robbery from the Philippines that resulted in injuries in western Tokyo last year.
Police suspect one of the four ringleaders, Kiyoto Imamura, 39, used the pseudonym "Luffy" when planning the crime and instructing subordinates.
With the four indictments, including Yuki Watanabe, 39, Toshiya Fujita, 39, and Tomonobu Kojima, 46, all perpetrators who allegedly gave instructions to their subordinates in eight main robbery cases now face criminal charges.
The crime ring is suspected of being involved in a total of over 50 cases of robbery, theft and other crimes across 14 prefectures. While those who gave the instructions called themselves Luffy, "Kim," and "Mitsuhashi," among others, perpetrators of the actual robberies were individuals enticed via social media with promises of lucrative "part-time jobs."
Tokyo police and the prefectural police of Chiba, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi have been jointly investigating those incidents.
The four ringleaders are accused of planning the execution of a home invasion in Inagi, western Tokyo, in October last year, beating its residents and robbing them of gold and cash, according to police investigation.
Tokyo prosecutors indicted Watanabe and Fujita with a charge of robbery resulting in injury over the crime in Chiba Prefecture in January as well.
Imamura, Watanabe and Fujita were also indicted on charges of robbery resulting in the death of a 90-year-old woman at her home in Komae, western Tokyo, in January.
The four are suspected of coordinating robberies using an encrypted messaging app while being held at an immigration facility in Manila. They were deported to Japan from the Philippines in February this year.
Related coverage:
"Luffy" crime ring members served fresh warrants over 2022 robbery
"Luffy" crime ring members charged again for robbery, murder charges
"Luffy" crime ring member arrested, first for ordering Japan robbery
