Robberies involving assaults have been reported this week in both Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures amid ongoing investigations into a series of incidents involving "dark" part-time jobs in the Tokyo metropolitan area since August.

Known as yami baito in Japanese, dark part-time jobs refer to illicit employment opportunities that promise unusually high pay. They typically entice individuals into engaging in specific illegal activities, such as transporting or receiving funds acquired through fraudulent means.

At around 7 a.m. on Thursday morning, a 72-year-old woman returning home from her night shift found her house in the city of Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, in disarray and called the authorities. Investigators have confirmed that the home was indeed ransacked, with a hammer and adhesive tape left behind by burglars and a glass window on the first floor broken. Additionally, a car that had been parked at the residence was missing.