Police on Tuesday searched the offices of a Tokyo-based health food company and some 30 related facilities over an alleged investment scam in which about 3,000 people were bilked out of more than 7 billion yen.
A joint investigation team made up of officers from the Aichi, Aomori and Kagoshima prefectural forces, as well as Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department, conducted the search on suspicion that the company, Albien, violated the investment law.
According to police and sources familiar with the case, the company convinced people to invest in sales of pomegranate drinks and other products by telling them a 3 million yen investment would lead to monthly dividends of 400,000 yen.