Osaka police to arrest Japanese man detained in Thailand
Osaka prefectural police said Monday they plan to arrest a Japanese man — currently detained in Thailand for allegedly luring a Japanese high school student to Myanmar and forcing him to take part in a fraud scheme there — on suspicion he imprisoned an acquaintance in the city of Osaka last year.
The arrest could happen as early as March 25, according to investigators, after he is transferred to Japan from Thailand.
The suspect has been identified as 29-year-old Tomu Fujinuma, investigators said. On Aug. 20, 2024, Fujinuma allegedly abducted a male acquaintance in his 20s in Osaka's Nishi Ward, forcing him into a car and assaulting him with a stun gun.
Fujinuma fled overseas after the incident. Thai police said he was apprehended at an airport in Bangkok on Feb.13 on suspicion of running a fraud ring in Myanmar.
The high school student reportedly met Fujinuma through an online game and confided in him about personal troubles. Fujinuma allegedly coaxed the student to travel to Thailand, only to take him to a criminal base in Myanmar. The student was rescued in January.
Japanese authorities are also investigating Fujinuma for allegedly luring the student to Myanmar under false pretenses and kidnapping him.
Translated by The Japan Times
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