Two men have been arrested on suspicion of committing robbery causing injury after they allegedly attacked a woman at her apartment in the city of Yokohama, with police investigating their possible involvement in nearly 10 other similar incidents, some involving sexual assault.
According to the Kanagawa Prefectural Police, the suspects ¡ª Ken Murakami, 45, and Yukio Kaji, 41 ¡ª have admitted to the allegations.
Investigators said the pair, who do not have fixed addresses, had each been released from prison earlier this year after having served time for robbery and other offenses.
According to the police, a string of incidents since late last month that took place in Yokohama as well as Tokyo¡¯s Nerima and Setagaya wards involved two men who broke into homes and threatened residents with knives before making off with their cash. Some cases also involved sexual violence. The authorities believe the two suspects may have been involved in these incidents.
The arrest of the duo?stems from an incident around 8:30 p.m. on April 1, when they allegedly entered a room in an apartment building in Yokohama¡¯s Kanagawa Ward via a balcony. They are accused of threatening a 28-year-old female office worker with what appeared to have been a knife, striking her in the face and causing minor injuries to the woman before robbing her of her wallet.
Police said the suspects were identified through an analysis of security camera footage while investigating a series of burglaries in the prefecture on the day of the incident. Arrest warrants for the two men were obtained on April 7, and they were placed on a nationwide wanted list.
Investigators said Kaji was sentenced in 2006 to 18 years in prison on charges including robbery and rape for breaking into a woman¡¯s home, threatening her with a knife, stealing her cash card, and sexually assaulting her.
Murakami was also arrested in 2007 by Hokkaido police on suspicion of rape resulting in injury and attempted robbery-rape involving multiple victims, and was sentenced to 19 years.
The two are believed to have met during their incarceration in Yamagata Prefecture and were released earlier this year after having their sentences reduced for good behavior. They had taken up jobs at the same company in Tokyo but stopped showing up for work around late March, after which their whereabouts became unknown.
In the recent cases across Yokohama and parts of Tokyo, the perpetrators are believed to have entered homes of victims through unlocked doors or by following behind residents to bypass apartment autolock systems. Police are urging the public to take precautions.
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