The former administrator of a Web site that took requests for "revenge" was arrested Monday on suspicion of swindling 1.65 million yen from a female client who requested last winter that her boyfriend's wife be murdered.
Police allege private detective Akio Okudaira, 48, had Tokyo Fire Department paramedic Eriko Kawaguchi, 32, transfer the money to his bank account in December as the "fees" for her murder request.
Okudaira denied the allegations, saying he knew nothing about the murder inquiry, according to the police.
But they said they believe Okudaira had planned to defraud her from the beginning and had no intention of carrying out the murder as requested by Kawaguchi when he received the money.
Okudaira had indicated during a conversation with one of his acquaintances that Kawaguchi was a patsy as she was a public servant and easily paid him a lot of money, according to police.
Kawaguchi has already been arrested on suspicion of asking Okudaira's agency to murder her boyfriend's wife out of jealousy.
In January, she also paid 1 million yen in cash to Takaharu Tabe, 40, Okudaira's aide, as part of the fees for the murder-for-hire, the police said.
Tabe is also under arrest for allegedly promising to meet her request for the money.