Fukuoka Prefectural Police arrested a 55-year-old man on Tuesday, following his deportation from the Philippines, in connection with a series of large-scale thefts.
The suspect, Takayuki Kagoshima, had been detained by Philippine immigration authorities since March.
According to the police's organized crime division, Kagoshima is believed to be a member of JP Dragon, a Japanese crime syndicate based in the Philippines. He entered the Philippines in November 2022 and had been staying illegally.
Kagoshima was arrested for allegedly conspiring with unknown accomplices to impersonate a police officer and phoned a man in the city of Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, on April 18, 2023.
Claiming that there had been a surge in cash card fraud, some members of the group visited the man’s residence and took his cash card.
Police report that Kagoshima was abroad at the time and may have orchestrated the crime from the Philippines.
JP Dragon is known for its close connections to Kiyoto Imamura, 40, who was arrested and indicted on suspicion of directing a series of robberies under the alias "Luffy."