Two more men suspected of being behind a string of robberies across Japan were taken into police custody aboard a plane while in transit to Tokyo on Thursday following their deportation from the Philippines.
The arrival of Yuki Watanabe, 38, and Tomonobu Kojima, 45, marked the completion of the handover of four suspects Tokyo police had sought from the Southeast Asian country, where they were detained on local charges.
The four are also suspected to have been leading members of another crime group that operated a scam targeting elderly people in Japan. The police are continuing to build their case regarding the robberies and have initially arrested the four on allegations of stealing cash cards in 2019 in relation to the fraud ring.