The man arrested over the death of a 9-year-old Vietnamese girl in Chiba Prefecture had been seen talking to the victim while he was on patrol duty near her school, investigative sources said Saturday.
Yasumasa Shibuya, 46, the head of a parents' association at the elementary school attended by third-grader Le Thi Nhat Linh, stood at the same spot in Matsudo on most mornings and was seen exchanging friendly greetings and high-fives with female students, the sources said.
Police suspect Shibuya could have attempted to approach Linh while he was on patrol duty.