Disturbing Threats from Tattooed Robbery Mastermind Captured in Intimidating Photo

“It’s a delivery”

The men who conveyed this over the intercom invaded the entrance once the lock was released. The male resident who opened the front door was suddenly slashed with a knife—

On September 13, the Shinjuku Police arrested 20-year-old Tomoya Yoneshige, who has no fixed address and an unspecified occupation, on suspicion of robbery causing injury and trespassing. He is believed to be the ringleader of a dark side job robbery, having instructed the teenage perpetrators as follows:

“Stab him as many times as it takes to kill him! Get it done. Beat him up and take what you can.”

The incident in question occurred on January 14 of this year, shortly after 7 PM.

Struck him on the head and abdomen multiple times with a bar.

“They repeatedly struck him on the head and abdomen with a bar. Two men disguised as delivery workers broke into an apartment in Shinjuku, Tokyo. They likely targeted a male resident in his 50s, Mr. A, knowing that luxury items were stored inside. Mistaking it for a delivery, Mr. A opened the front door, allowing the men to enter. They cut his right hand with a knife, causing injuries that would take about two weeks to heal, and stole four luxury watches, including a Rolex, worth a total of 4.18 million yen before fleeing.

Nearby, there was a car waiting with two accomplices inside. After the crime, the perpetrators got into the car. However, all four—two perpetrators and two accomplices—were arrested between March and April based on security camera footage. From their testimonies, police arrested the suspected mastermind, Yoneshige. They were reportedly acquaintances from the Chugoku region. Yoneshige has remained silent during police questioning.”

Our magazine’s photographer captured Yoneshige being transported. His terrifying appearance was striking, with vivid tattoos on his face and neck that intimidated onlookers. When reporters aimed their cameras, he responded with a piercing glare.

“This is not Yoneshige’s first arrest. In January of this year, he instructed three teenage accomplices to break into a first-floor apartment in Shinagawa, Tokyo, stealing about 850,000 yen in cash and 21 items worth a total of 850,000 yen. He reportedly called the elderly mother of a resident weeks before the crime, posing as her son to gather information about their cash holdings.

Additionally, in March, he conspired with four men in their twenties to assault an accounting office in Kudamatsu, Yamaguchi Prefecture. They repeatedly struck a man in the head and abdomen with a bar, inflicting serious injuries that required over a month of recovery, and stole approximately 6 million yen in cash and 21 items worth around 170,000 yen. In both cases, Yoneshige was arrested on charges including breaking and entering.”

The methods of these shadowy robbery jobs are becoming increasingly brutal. As noted, cases showing a disregard for victims’ lives are on the rise. Police are warning the public not to easily disclose financial information, even if contacted by someone claiming to be a relative.