Lotte Shoji Co., the sales arm of the Lotte group specializing in confectionery, received extortion letters in June stating that its products would be poisoned if a 50 million yen ransom was not paid, police sources said Saturday.
Two extortion letters with Nagoya postmarks were delivered to Lotte Shoji's Chubu branch in the city's Nishi Ward in early June. Lotte Shoji sells products including chocolate and gum made by major confectionery giant Lotte Co.
After notifying Aichi Prefectural Police of the letters, Lotte Shoji decided not to pay the money, the sources said, adding that the company checked Lotte products and did not find any abnormalities. The extortionist did not make any further contact with the firm, the company said.
According to police investigations, the two letters -- produced on a word processor -- were identical and contained instructions to communicate with the sender by newspaper advertisement, the sources said.