Man Arrested for Extorting 5 Million Yen by Posing as Victim’s Father

“He was secretly filming, right?”

The man is accused of approaching a man who was photographing products and tricking him into paying a large settlement fee.

On December 11, the Metropolitan Police’s Manseibashi Station arrested 36-year-old Shogo Ikeba, a self-proclaimed sole proprietor from Shinjuku, Tokyo, on suspicion of extortion. He allegedly posed as a plainclothes officer and extorted 1.08 million yen from a man in his 20s, identified as Mr. A, near the JR Akihabara station at an electronics store. Ikeba reportedly remains silent during police questioning.

“The incident, for which Ikeba was arrested, occurred on July 27. He is said to have conspired with three other arrested members and approached Mr. A, who was photographing products at the electronics store with his smartphone. He allegedly threatened him by saying, ‘We are plainclothes officers. You were secretly filming a woman. A settlement fee is required, and the standard amount is 3 million yen.’

The man also made Mr. A call from someone pretending to be the father of the victim and demanded money. They went together to a nearby ATM, where Mr. A withdrew 1.08 million yen. Mr. A had not engaged in any illicit filming, but during questioning, he reportedly said, ‘I was scared because I thought it would become a police matter.'” (National newspaper social section reporter)

“You’re reselling, right?”

The magazine’s photographer captured Shogo Ikeba being transported immediately after his arrest on December 12. Without showing any signs of guilt, he stared directly at the camera in a shocking manner.

There has been a surge in incidents involving private arrests of ordinary people and individuals impersonating police officers. Below are some recent cases:

• In November 2023, a man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of defamation. He confronted a woman near a theater in Tokyo, accusing her of illegally reselling tickets and took a photo of her with his smartphone. Despite the woman not being involved in reselling, her face was exposed online without any pixelation.

• In January 2024, two men in their 30s were arrested on suspicion of attempted extortion. They discovered a male office worker filming up a woman’s skirt at a JR station in Kanagawa Prefecture. They threatened him, saying, “You were secretly filming, right? How much will you pay for damages?” Their involvement was uncovered after the office worker, arrested for voyeurism, confessed.

The incident near JR Akihabara Station, mentioned earlier, is believed to be part of a series of similar crimes committed by a secret filming hunter between July and August of this year. At least eight incidents were confirmed, with the total amount extorted exceeding 5 million yen. The police are investigating Ikeba’s possible additional crimes.