A man thought to be a member of a car-theft ring in Hachioji has been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the theft of 400 cars, police said Thursday.
Police suspect 32-year-old Akira Takahashi and his group stole the cars, worth more than 1 billion yen, from around August 1999 in Tokyo and eight prefectures, including Kanagawa and Saitama.
According to the arrest warrant, Takahashi and the group, which has more than 10 members, are suspected of stealing a four-wheel-drive vehicle owned by a man in Hino, on the evening of June 29, 2000.
The thieves, who broke into the cars using a screwdriver, placed fake registration plates on the stolen cars before driving them away, police said.
They later removed such items as leather seats and car navigation systems from the vehicles and sold them separately, according to police.
Eight men and a woman, who are allegedly members of the group, were arrested after police found a car bearing a fake registration plate in February 2000.
Police suspect gangsters are involved in the sale of the stolen cars.