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Four 16-year-old boys have been arrested in connection with a fatal home invasion in Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture that left a 69-year-old woman dead and her two sons injured. Police believe the case may be linked to so-called “anonymous crime networks.”
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The incident occurred on May 14 in Kaminokawa town, where several suspects allegedly broke into a residential home and stole valuables. During the robbery, the elderly woman was stabbed in the chest and killed.
Her two sons, in their 30s and 40s, who were working outside at the time, returned home and were attacked upon arrival. Both sustained head injuries.
Police said the four suspects, all 16-year-old students from Sagamihara and Kawasaki, were arrested in stages over the weekend and are believed to have directly carried out the assault.
One of the suspects reportedly admitted that he found the job through social media and was offered what was described as a “dark part-time job” (illegal work).
Investigators have expanded their probe, arresting a couple in their 20s on suspicion of robbery and murder, with police believing they were involved in recruiting participants through anonymous crime networks and social media “dark part-time job” schemes.
In a separate development, police also arrested a 28-year-old man at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on suspicion of robbery and murder. Authorities believe he was attempting to flee the country at the time of his arrest.
Police said criminal groups may be increasingly recruiting teenagers due to lower arrest risks and higher controllability, noting that suspects have been getting younger in recent years.
