Police to Upgrade Headquarters for Tokyo-Area Robberies

Tokyo, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)--Police in Tokyo and the nearby prefectures of Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba will upgrade their joint investigation headquarters for a series of robbery cases in the Tokyo metropolitan area since this summer, investigative sources said Thursday.

The four police departments launched the joint headquarters on Oct. 9, after seven robberies with possible links occurred between late August and early October.

However, more robbery cases have occurred since then, including those in the Chiba cities of Funabashi and Shiroi. There was also a possible robbery case in Yokohama, the capital of Kanagawa, in which a 75-year-old man was found dead with his hands and feet bound in his home.

In connection with the series of robberies, police have arrested a total of about 25 people. It has been learned that they received instructions from several accounts on Signal, a highly confidential communication app.

The investigation headquarters is working to uncover the structure and other details of a possible robbery syndicate.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]