39 people arrested in Tokyo-area robberies, but no bosses found

Authorities have arrested nearly 40 people in connection with a recent spate of home invasion robberies in the Tokyo area, but the masterminds behind the crime remain at large.

Investigators traced more than 30 messaging app accounts to the robbery, but the crime ring uses encrypted apps, complicating efforts to identify who is giving the orders.

On October 2, police arrested a man suspected of recruiting perpetrators online for a robbery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture last month. This is the first arrest of an alleged recruiter linked to the crimes.

Thirty-nine people have been arrested in connection with 18 robberies since August. Most suspects are believed to be lower-level perpetrators, such as intruders, security guards and getaway drivers, acting on orders from their superiors.

Others are suspected of supplying pickpockets, using stolen credit cards or helping to collect stolen items.

Some suspects may have been involved in multiple robberies.

Twenty-six of the 39 suspects are in their 20s, and eight are over 30. The list also includes four teenagers and an individual in his forties.

Notably, many of the suspects are first-time offenders with regular day jobs who were recruited for shady work through social media, authorities said.

In the 18 robberies, one person was killed and 10 others were injured.

Police are also investigating whether there is a link between the crime spree around the capital and robberies and attempted robberies in September and October in Hokkaido, Tochigi and Yamaguchi prefectures and elsewhere.