Toyama robbery investigation links theft to special fraud case

Police in Toyama Prefecture are investigating a robbery that occurred in Toyama City on August 16. A man in his 50s was reportedly attacked by a group of three men, believed to be foreign nationals, who fled in a vehicle toward the Jinzu River area.

The suspects allegedly restrained the victim and used physical force, such as elbow strikes, to steal an envelope containing 2 million yen from his backpack. No weapons were reported to have been used.

In a related development, authorities have referred 58-year-old Koichi Murata to prosecutors. Murata is suspected of acting as a ‘receiver’ in a special fraud scheme, having allegedly defrauded a woman in his 70s of 2 million yen and a gold bar. Investigators believe the robbery in Toyama City was motivated by the suspects targeting the cash and valuables Murata had obtained through the fraud.