Fifth high school boy arrested in Tochigi robbery-murder case
An 18-year-old male high school student was arrested Saturday for allegedly introducing a boy who later served as one of the perpetrators of a high-profile robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture.In the case, Eiko Tomiyama, 69, was killed at her home in the town of Kaminokawa on May 14. Four high school boys had been arrested over the crime by Tochigi Prefectural Police as of May 16. A man and his wife, both in their 20s, have also been arrested.The student arrested Saturday, who is from the city of Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, allegedly introduced a 16-year-old male high school student from Kawasaki to another 16-year-old boy from Sagamihara using a communication app on or around May 13, despite knowing that the Kawasaki boy would be used to carry out the murder-robbery.The 18-year-old boy is suspected of violating the employment security law, which bans the introduction of harmful jobs.A man in his 40s who allegedly helped mastermind the robbery-murder left Japan from Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture for China following the arrest of the man in his 20s, investigative sources have said. The man may have traveled to Southeast Asia or another country after arriving in China.The Tochigi case involving tokuryū quasi-gangster groups is highlighting how the groups are adapting to police crackdowns.Police believe there might have been involvement by senior members of tokuryū groups, which thrive on anonymity and a lack of structure, in orchestrating the plot.
