A 57-year-old woman was killed Sunday during a drive-by purse-snatching in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, police said.
Kiyoko Takiguchi, a company employee and resident of Fujinomiya, died of massive head injuries soon after the 10:35 a.m. robbery.
The robbers fled the scene in a black car, police said.
The attack occurred about 100 meters from Shin-Fuji Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line. Takiguchi was walking toward the station with her daughter when the car approached from behind, police said.
As the car passed by, an unidentified person sitting in the front passenger seat reached out and grabbed her purse, subsequently dragging Takiguchi along the road.
Police said they believe at least two people were in the car.