Toyama police on Friday arrested a 25-year-old man and his 48-year-old mother in Yamagata Prefecture for allegedly abducting a 13-year-old girl in Toyama Prefecture and keeping her at their home for days.
It is a case reminiscent of the recent arrest of a Chiba University graduate over the alleged kidnapping and two-year confinement of a 13-year-old Saitama girl.
Ryo Watanabe, a supermarket clerk in Shinjo, Yamagata Prefecture, was arrested early Friday morning on suspicion of kidnapping the girl, who lives in western Toyama Prefecture.
His mother, Yoshie, who lives together with the suspect, has also been arrested, police said, adding that the girl was not injured.
According to the Toyama Prefectural Police, Watanabe, who got acquainted with the girl through a smartphone app, messaged her on the app and abducted her from Toyama earlier this month. He sent messages including "Count on me" and "Why don't you come over here?" police said.
The girl's family had reported her disappearance to Toyama police on Monday. The girl had been in touch with her family by email even after she left, police said.
The Yamagata Prefectural Police found her at the man's home along with his mother in Yamagata on Thursday around noon, and placed the girl in protective custody.
The police are investigating the motives of the suspects.