Osaka, March 25 (Jiji Press) – A 29-year-old Japanese man, Tomu Fujinuma, was arrested by Osaka prefectural police on Tuesday after being detained in Thailand. He is accused of tricking a Japanese high school student into committing fraud from Myanmar.
Fujinuma allegedly assaulted and confined a man in his 20s in a vehicle in Osaka on August 20, 2024, before fleeing Japan. The victim had been lured into Fujinuma’s trap, and after the incident, Fujinuma escaped to Thailand.
Thai police detained Fujinuma at Bangkok’s airport on February 13, 2025. Authorities believe he was part of a fraud operation targeting Japanese nationals, which was based near Myawaddy in Myanmar and reportedly linked to a Chinese-affiliated crime group.
Fujinuma is believed to have forced the high school student, whom he met through an online gaming community, to participate in the scam, which involved fraud targeting Japanese citizens.
