A former sumo wrestler held for allegedly extorting around ¥3.5 million in hush money from ozeki Kotomitsuki over illegal gambling told police he belonged to a crime syndicate in Kyushu after retiring from the sport, investigative sources said Saturday.

Mitsutomo Furuichi, 38, was quoted as telling investigators that he was "a member of a mob group in Kyushu for four to five years after retiring from sumo."

While police said they have not confirmed that membership, it was widely rumored that some in the sumo industry have links to organized crime.