Saitama police have arrested a 31-year-old company employee from Aichi Prefecture on suspicion of soliciting participants for a violent robbery that occurred last month in the city of Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture.
According to investigative sources, Yuya Nagura, from the city of Chita, has admitted to the allegations, saying, "I was in charge of introducing new people. I did it because I needed the money."
The sources said that Nagura used social media to post advertisements with phrases like "easy job" and "goods transport" to recruit individuals for "dark part-time jobs," known as yami baito in Japanese. He then exchanged messages with applicants via encrypted messaging apps such as Signal and Telegram, ultimately introducing these recruits to another individual believed to have directed the operations.
Following contact from the alleged mastermind, Nagura reportedly relayed instructions to participants, telling them to go to specified meeting points in the Tokorozawa area without disclosing the nature of the assignment. When the recruits asked him questions about the activities, particularly after being ordered to carry out the robbery, he allegedly sent messages encouraging them to follow through.
The Tokorozawa incident took place at around 2:05 a.m. on Oct. 1, when an elderly couple in their 80s was tied up with adhesive tape and approximately ¥160,000 in cash was stolen. Four men in their 20s to 40s have been arrested and indicted as perpetrators, with at least three believed to have been recruited by Nagura.
Over 10 similar robbery incidents have occurred across four prefectures in the Tokyo metropolitan area since late August. In each case, multiple suspects broke into homes, restrained residents and stole money or valuables — a modus operandi that police say indicates a coordinated approach.
Many of those apprehended over these incidents claim they signed up for jobs that appeared to be yami baito. Authorities are investigating possible links to anonymous, flexible criminal groups known as tokuryū as they work to unravel the structure behind these crimes.
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