27-4-2024 (BANGKOK) The shocking case of alleged Yakuza gang members from Japan committing a brutal murder and dismembering the body in Thailand has taken a new turn, with the two Japanese suspects managing to flee the country, leaving authorities in a state of bewilderment. The grisly crime, which unfolded in the Bang Bua Thong District of Nonthaburi Province, has left investigators scrambling to piece together the puzzle and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Jirasan Kaewsaeng-aek, Commander of Provincial Police Region 1, disclosed that the two suspects, Mr. Takuya Kato, 50, who referred to himself as the “Boss,” and Mr. Hiroto Suzuki, 33, both Japanese nationals, have managed to escape Thailand through an undisclosed channel. Authorities believe the two men are currently on the run in neighboring countries, prompting Pol. Lt. Gen. Jirasan to dispatch police personnel to coordinate with authorities in the region in hopes of apprehending the fugitives and returning them to Thailand.
The case revolves around the gruesome murder of Mr. Kabashima Ryosuke, a 47-year-old Japanese national, whose dismembered remains were discovered in a shocking turn of events. According to the investigation, Ryosuke had a financial dispute with a Yakuza group in Japan over a cryptocurrency business, allegedly misappropriating funds for personal gain and failing to return the money before traveling to Thailand.
In a chilling twist, the Yakuza gang in Japan is believed to have contacted Kato, the main suspect who had previously evaded an arrest warrant in Japan and fled to Thailand, and Suzuki, a recent arrival in the country, to track down Ryosuke and mete out punishment in accordance with the Yakuza’s strict code of conduct, serving as a warning to others against betraying or deceiving the gang.
The authorities allege that Kato shot and killed Ryosuke in a vehicle on March 28. Subsequently, Kato recruited a Thai driver, Kritsakorn Jaipitak, or “Game,” aged 33, to rent an empty warehouse, acquire tools for dismembering the body, and use three different vehicles in rotation to conceal the murder. The grisly discovery of Ryosuke’s dismembered remains was made on April 19.
Game, who is charged with “conspiring to conceal or destroy corpses and concealing the cause of death,” has been denied bail by the Nonthaburi Provincial Court due to the heinous nature of the crime and his direct involvement. He has been apprehended and remanded to Nonthaburi Provincial Prison.
Meanwhile, the authorities have already requested the court to issue full arrest warrants for the two Japanese suspects, Kato and Suzuki, who remain at large. The investigation has revealed no evidence of any accomplices assisting the suspects in fleeing the country thus far. However, a driver who transported the two men to Nakhon Phanom Province, bordering Laos, provided crucial information to the police, stating that on April 22, he was hired for 12,000 baht to pick up two foreigners from Bangkok and deliver them to Nakhon Phanom. Upon arrival on April 23, another vehicle collected the two men, and their whereabouts remain unknown.
