Police in Fukuoka Prefecture on Wednesday transported six members of the "JP Dragon" crime ring from the Philippines to Japan and arrested them for their alleged involvement in special fraud.
The police believe the six have defrauded at least 250 people in 20 Japanese prefectures out of approximately ¥900 million since around October 2019.
According to the arrest warrant, the members, including 27-year-old Akira Sanbonchiku, allegedly stole a cash card from a then 89-year-old man in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, in April 2023 by calling the victim's home and telling him that they would dispatch a police officer as there were many incidents of cash cards being used fraudulently.
The police did not disclose whether the suspects have admitted to the allegations.
Some of the suspects are believed to have ties with another crime group, whose members used the pseudonym "Luffy." Investigators are looking into potential links between the two crime rings.
According to Fukuoka police, all six suspects entered the Philippines in 2019 or later. They are believed to have served the crime ring as instructors or scam callers.
JP Dragon leader Ryuji Yoshioka, 55, was detained by Philippine immigration authorities in June. Tomohiro Koyama, 51, believed to be the group's No. 3 member, was sentenced by the Tokyo District Court in July to three years and six months in prison for theft.
According to investigative sources, JP Dragon has been continuously changing its crime methods, with its members posing as police officers in many recent cases.
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