TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested the previous consultant director of luxurious watch-sharing service Tokematch on suspicion of fraud, reviews Jiji Press (Dec. 26).
On Friday, police apprehended Takazumi Fukuhara, 44, at Narita International Airport upon his arrival from the United Arab Emirates.
Tokematch’s system allowed customers who need to hire luxurious watches to pay a month-to-month payment for that service. Borrowed watches had been entrusted to the corporate by their house owners.
Police allege that Fukuhara defrauded a person in Tokyo out of 15 watches, together with Rolexes, with a complete market worth of roughly 18 million yen round August 2023.
According to police, Fukuhara labored with former firm worker Taishi Nakayama, 44, who was additionally arrested, to publish false claims on the corporate’s web site. One learn, “By depositing your watches, you can earn a stable monthly income.”
Police consider Fukuhara had obtained giant quantities of money by promoting luxurious watches entrusted to him at secondhand sellers and different events.
Pawnshops
Tokematch was operated by Neo Reverse, for which Fukuhara served as director.
Between March 2021 and December 2033, Tokematch is believed to have defrauded about 650 house owners, aged of their 20s to 80s, out of roughly 1,700 watches with a market worth of over 2.8 billion yen.
Of these watches, at the very least 1,300 had been offered them at round 110 pawnshops and second-hand shops. Some of the proceeds from the gross sales had been deposited into cryptocurrency and on-line on line casino accounts.
On January 31, 2024, Fukuhara left for Dubai, United Arab Emirates after out of the blue dissolving Neo Reverse.
Tokyo police subsequently obtained an arrest warrant. In March of the identical yr, he was positioned on a world needed listing via the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).
“No different from murder”
Fukuhara had been ordered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give up his passport. However, in response to a supply, he did not give up it. At that point, a complete of 173 reviews of fraud had been obtained by regulation enforcement from 33 prefectures.
One sufferer tells TBS News (Dec. 26), “He took about 60 million yen. I think 60 million yen is enough money for someone to commit suicide. It’s no different from murder. I really hope he gets caught.”
Former worker Daisuke Nagata, 40, who left the nation with Fukuhara, continues to be needed.