Yomiuri: 2 taxi drivers held over ferrying members of Chinese burglary ring
Police in Nara Prefecture have arrested two taxi drivers on suspicion of repeatedly ferrying members of a group of Chinese burglars to residential areas to commit crimes, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. Osamu Nakajima, 61, and Hiroyuki Yamada, 65, both drivers with a taxi company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, were arrested on suspicion of aiding the thieves. The two reportedly told police that they helped the criminals because they were finding it difficult to make ends meet in the current recession. They are believed to have ferried the criminals to and from various locations in Osaka, Hyogo and Nara prefectures. The two said they had received tens of thousands of yen per trip in fares as well as other rewards, and that they also had acted as lookouts while the thieves were committing crimes. The police believe the two are tied to about 100 theft cases...more...
