A Japanese couple has been arrested alongside four teenage boys over a brutal robbery-murder case involving a 69-year-old woman who was stabbed to death in Tochigi Prefecture.
Authorities believe the six suspects may have been acting under instructions from a larger criminal network linked through social media platforms.
The shocking case has sparked widespread concern in Japan over the growing involvement of teenagers in organised violent crimes.
Elderly Woman Found With More Than 20 Stab Wounds
The victim was discovered dead on May 14 inside her home after suffering at least 20 stab wounds.
Her two sons, who are reportedly in their thirties and forties, were also attacked during the incident and sustained serious injuries including broken bones.
According to Japanese media reports, four 16-year-old boys allegedly carried out the attack after travelling to the victim’s home using a white luxury sedan linked to the arrested couple.
Police believe some of the teenagers had never met each other before the day of the crime.
Couple Allegedly Directed Teenagers To Carry Out Attack
Investigators arrested 28-year-old Kaito Takemae and his 25-year-old wife Miyu Takemae after statements from the teenage suspects allegedly pointed towards the couple’s involvement.
One of the boys reportedly told investigators that the couple instructed them to carry out the violent robbery attack.
Authorities later arrested Kaito at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport while he was allegedly attempting to flee Japan through the international departure terminal.
Meanwhile, Miyu was reportedly located at a hotel in Kanagawa Prefecture together with the couple’s seven-month-old daughter.
Police Suspect Links To Larger Crime Syndicate
Japanese police suspect the murder may be connected to a wider underground criminal group whose members are loosely connected online.
Investigators are now examining whether the suspects were recruited through social media channels commonly used by criminal organisations to find young offenders willing to commit robberies or violent attacks for money.
Authorities also discovered that the victim’s address may have been exposed during an earlier theft at her son’s residence in April.
Additionally, suspicious vehicles connected to the latest murder case were reportedly spotted near several attempted robberies in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward in recent months.
Growing Concern Over Teen Crime In Japan
The case has reignited public concern in Japan over the rise of youth involvement in organised crime and so-called “dark part-time jobs”, where teenagers are allegedly recruited online to commit violent offences.
Japanese authorities have increasingly warned that criminal groups are exploiting financially vulnerable youths through encrypted messaging apps and social media platforms.
Investigations into the Tochigi murder case are ongoing, with police working to determine whether additional suspects linked to the wider criminal network may still be involved.