Tokyo police placed a 28-year-old man on a nationwide wanted list Thursday after store security cameras captured him using the bank card of a woman who was found slain in her apartment in Toshima Ward last week.
The suspect was identified as Nozomi Kuroda, formerly of the Self-Defense Forces and now of no fixed address. He is initially being sought for alleged theft, after having withdrawn some 260,000 yen from the bank account of Kyoko Sekino, 22, but investigators believe he can shed light on her death.
Security cameras at two convenience stores showed Kuroda withdrawing cash using Sekino's bank card between 9 and 10 a.m. Feb. 13. The video images were also released Thursday.
A colleague found Sekino dead in her apartment Feb. 13 after she failed to show up for work that morning. An electric cord had been wound around her neck and her handbag was missing.
A subsequent investigation determined that a man had gone to two convenience stores and used Sekino's bank card to withdraw some 260,000 yen from her account. Both stores are located near her apartment, police said.
Investigative sources said, however, that police believe Sekino and Kuroda did not know each other, and were looking into why he was able to withdraw the money.