The latest case – involving a visually impaired man who was swindled out of about 700,000 yen (US$4,870) – has cast a spotlight on how such “anonymous and fluid” crime groups operate with impunity by cycling in new perpetrators for each incident, according to Tokyo police.
The man had met a woman on a dating app designed for people with disabilities. She introduced herself as “Risa” and offered to take him to a bar in Tokyo’s bustling Shibuya district in February.
What he did not know, investigators later said, was that the woman – identified by police as Rina Sugawara – was employed by the bar and working in concert with its staff.
The bar offered an all-you-can-drink plan for 5,000 yen, but during their visit, Sugawara reportedly encouraged him to order additional drinks and engage in a drinking game that involved taking shots as a penalty. The victim, who rarely consumed alcohol, soon became intoxicated.
