Police arrested an unemployed man from Tokyo and two mobile phone agents Tuesday on suspicion of failing to verify the identities of cell phone buyers, as required by law. The handsets are believed to have been used to perpetrate frauds.
Investigative sources said the man, Shinichi Yumimoto, 32, has told the Metropolitan Police Department that he obtained around 900 handsets under other people's names.
The police suspect he coerced the two agents — Kazuyoshi Miyamoto, 29, Takashi Hotaka, 31 — into providing the phones.
The government instituted a law in 2005 requiring identity checks for buyers of mobile phones with SIM — subscriber identity module — cards, with the aim of preventing mobile phones from being used in crimes. Sales agents are required to maintain records of documents used to verify buyers' identities.