Police on Tuesday issued fresh arrest warrants for a moneylender and three others on suspicion of murdering a former pachinko parlor worker in hopes of claiming a life insurance payout.
The four are suspected of administering lethal doses of a cold medicine ingredient over a long period of time to 61-year-old Akira Morita in an attempt to claim 170 million yen in life insurance money, police said.
Police identified the four as Shigeru Yagi, 50, a moneylender and the key figure in the investigation; Analie Sato Kawamura, 35, a Filipino bar employee; Takako Morita, 38; and Mayumi Take, 32, a restaurant worker.
The four were first arrested March 24 on suspicion of arranging bogus marriages with victims as part of the scheme.