Victim Lists From a Mystery Source—The Full Story Behind Japan’s Infamous Luffy Robbery Ring

The “Luffy Group,” which shocked Japan by orchestrating special fraud schemes and a series of wide-area robberies using so-called “dark part-time jobs” (yami baito), left an enormous scar on Japanese criminal history. The group later inspired a large number of copycat offenders and is considered one of the origins of the so-called “anonymous, fluid criminal groups” (Tokuryu).

Based on exclusive interviews with the top executives of this extraordinary criminal organization, the nonfiction book “Luffy Behind Bars: The People Who Created Dark Part-Time Jobs” (written by Shimei Kurita, published by Kodansha), which reveals the full picture of the “Luffy Group,” will be released on June 24.

In the previous article, “’He’s Like a Devil,’ Even a Top Luffy Group Executive Was Shocked by the Betrayal of Their Own’During the Wide-Area Robberies,” we introduced how executives of a fraud organization reunited in the Bicutan Detention Center in the Philippines and transformed into a large-scale robbery gang. In this second part, we delve into the inside story of the robbery spree that shook Japan (excerpted and re-edited from “Luffy Behind Bars.”)

Click here to pre-order Luffy Behind Bars: The People Who Created Dark Part-Time Jobs!

Why did the crimes committed by the “Luffy Group” develop into as many as eight wide-area robberies? The key to solving this mystery lies in the remarkable accuracy of the information that Imamura (Mahito; defendant designation omitted hereafter) obtained from an information source.

Beginning with the “Inagi Incident” in October 2022, it was Imamura who acquired information on five robbery targets, excluding the “Adachi Incident” and the “Chiba Incident.” The information he obtained from his source was extraordinarily precise, including the location of safes inside homes, the total amount of money stored, whether valuables were present, family composition, occupations, security arrangements, and even the times residents were at home. Such intelligence gathering would be difficult for an ordinary delinquent group to achieve. Examining the information revealed in court proceedings gives exactly that impression.

Before launching the robbery spree, Imamura shared information such as the following with executive members Fujita (Seiya), Watanabe (Yuki), and the perpetrators. (Note: Out of consideration for victims’ feelings and because several incidents remain confidential, the specific cases are not identified.)

“Cash from baseball gambling is distributed, and this house stores the money. Cash gathers once a month. We’ll target that day. Total amount: 50–60 million yen, sometimes as much as 100 million yen. The money gathers between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Information leaked from someone close to them. The target will probably be alone on the day, so strike at that timing.”

(Information shared among the executives; same below.)

“He’s the bookmaker for baseball gambling, so let’s go all out.”

(Instruction sent to perpetrators via Telegram; same below.)

“There’s a corrupt city councilman, and his eldest son leaked the information. An elderly couple lives there. Their grandchild visits occasionally. There’s 36 million yen in the safe and lots of valuables. Two or three people may be home. There’s money in the basement, so take it.”

“Threaten them into giving up the safe combination, then take only the contents.”

“A former or current yakuza-affiliated construction company president has hoarded a huge amount of cash. Between 100 and 150 million yen. The information supposedly came from his son. The office has Secom security; the house doesn’t.”

“If they resist, rough them up a little until they talk.”

“They’re not ordinary citizens, so don’t show any mercy.”

Some details have been omitted, but this was roughly the nature of the information. It is clear that they had obtained highly detailed intelligence about their robbery targets. In the trials of Fujita and Kojima (Tomonobu), testimony was also given to the effect that because the information came from people close to the victims, Imamura’s intelligence was considered highly reliable.

Planning for the Inagi Incident began in earnest about a week before it occurred, on October 12, 2022. Imamura and Fujita, who served as directors, were joined by Watanabe, and together they discussed the victim’s assets, family structure, timing of the crime, whether the victim would be home, the target time window, the tools to be used, and the number of perpetrators required.

Following these discussions, Imamura gave instructions to the perpetrators he had recruited himself. In the Watanabe group, Fujita passed information to the perpetrators whom Kojima had recruited through social media.

However, detailed information such as the amount of money to be stolen and the target address was disclosed to the perpetrators only immediately before the crime. The purpose was to prevent information from being leaked to rival criminal organizations or reported to law enforcement. This practice was strictly maintained throughout the three months during which the robberies occurred. In some cases, detailed information was shared only with the getaway driver.

The Inagi Incident involved five perpetrators. Together with one driver and two people responsible for selling the stolen goods, the team consisted of eight members in total.

Before the crime, the following message was exchanged between the directors and the perpetrators:

“It’s a residential area, so just go straight through the front! Easy, right?”

We’ll give you a bonus

On October 19, the day before the crime, the perpetrators visited the target location for a reconnaissance trip under instructions from Imamura, known as “Luffy.” However, they were confused because several aspects differed from the information they had been given in advance. Three cars were parked at the residence, two security cameras were installed, and there was even a police box nearby.

One of the perpetrators recruited by the Watanabe group, Kazuki Ishiguri, sensed that something was wrong and contacted “Kim” (Fujita). It did not seem easy at all.

After a while, “Kim” instructed them to ring the doorbell, complain that the bulky garbage is in the way, and force their way inside. However, due to the discrepancies between the intelligence and reality, all five perpetrators at the scene had completely lost motivation. They agreed among themselves to lie and report that they had tried but failed.

The perpetrators dispersed around the Tokyo metropolitan area and arranged to try again the following day. Ishiguri, who later testified as a witness at Fujita’s trial, described the situation:

“If anything, ‘Luffy’ seemed inclined to listen to what was happening on the ground and give up on the operation. ‘Kim,’ on the other hand, absolutely insisted that it had to be done that day and wouldn’t let it go. That’s the impression I got.”

Imamura and Fujita revised the plan. They would pose as delivery workers, ring the doorbell, threaten whoever answered with a knife, and force them to reveal the location of the safe. If other family members were present, the remaining perpetrators would subdue and restrain them.

Among the five perpetrators, one was assigned to search for the safe, one to secure the escape route, and the rest were assigned as the restraint team.

The following day, the six perpetrators, including the driver, regrouped and waited near the victim’s home. Then “Kim,” who was on the phone with Ishiguri, instructed him to switch to speakerphone. Kim addressed the group:

“Each one of you is the star. Do your best.”

It was meant to fire them up. However, Ishiguri later recalled, “I just thought, ‘He’s trying to motivate us.’ It didn’t really raise my spirits or anything.”

The crime was completed in just seven minutes.

At around 4 p.m., Ishiguri rang the doorbell and threatened the woman who answered with a pair of scissors. He covered her mouth with duct tape so she could not scream. While growling, “I’ll kill you,” he signaled to the perpetrators waiting in the car to move in. One of the intruders restrained another man in the house with a headlock and pinned him down. Realizing resistance was futile, the man tried to calm the other family members, saying, “Calm down” and “Let’s do what they say.” The perpetrators then searched the house and found two safes.

Throughout the incident, the perpetrators remained connected to their handlers via Telegram. When they reported finding the safes to “Luffy,” he gave instructions such as, “Throw the safes down from the second floor.” Thinking this was inefficient, the perpetrators ignored the instruction and carried the safes to the car by hand. They rushed back to the vehicle, transferred the safes into a getaway car parked nearby, and drove north as fast as they could.

“We’ll give you a bonus.”

Unable to hide his excitement, “Luffy” praised them over the phone.

“I want you to check what’s inside the safes as soon as possible.”

While fleeing, they received messages from both “Luffy” and “Kim.” After entering Ibaraki Prefecture, they stopped in a rural area and used a crowbar and hammer prepared in advance to break open the safes. Keeping a video call connected with the two handlers, they examined the cash and contents. Within the organization, this process was referred to as counting.

Afterward, the safes were dumped into a nearby river. They had stolen ¥35 million in cash, gold bars, jewelry, and luxury-brand goods.

The Watanabe group’s share of the proceeds was said to be about ¥13 million. Because they had recruited more perpetrators, they received ¥1.5 million more than Imamura’s side. The cash was handed over to a casino operator in Minato Ward. After expenses and commissions were deducted, ¥6 million was transferred to Watanabe.

The perpetrators involved in the case included unemployed Takayoshi Kuzuoka (25, Utsunomiya City), construction worker Kazuki Ishiguri (37, Sapporo City), and five others. All were later arrested and indicted on charges including robbery causing injury. (Ages and occupations are as of January 2023.)

Based on exclusive interviews with the group’s top executives and extensive testimony presented in court, “Luffy Behind Bars: The People Who Created the Dark Part-Time Jobs,” which uncovers the full story of the “Luffy Group,” is scheduled for release on June 24. Pre-orders are now being accepted through online bookstores and other retailers. Pre-order here!