According to Japanese police, the suspects, aged between 50 and 79, are accused of taking part in a sophisticated telephone scam that targeted victims in Japan. (Photo: Police in Japan).

Investigators believe the group used Sierra Leone as its operational base, marking one of the first known cases in which Japanese law enforcement has dismantled a fraud network linked to the West African nation.

Authorities noted that previous investigations into similar scams had largely focused on criminal groups operating from Southeast Asia. They believe the suspects may have assumed that conducting their activities from Sierra Leone would place them beyond the reach of Japanese investigators.

Among those arrested is 61-year-old Hirobumi Kitaoka from Yokohama, who, along with three others, had already been detained in June on suspicion of violating Japan’s Employment Security Law by recruiting individuals to work as callers for the alleged fraud ring.

Police in Hyogo Prefecture said the suspects are accused of deceiving a woman in her 50s from Sapporo in June 2025. Investigators allege that the callers impersonated officials from the Osaka District Public Prosecutors’ Office and falsely claimed that the woman’s bank account had been linked to fraudulent activity.

The victim was reportedly instructed to transfer her savings for what she was told was an official investigation. She subsequently remitted approximately ¥55 million to bank accounts designated by the suspects.

Japanese police said investigations are ongoing as they seek to identify other individuals believed to have recruited members of the group or directed the operation from behind the scenes.

Authorities have not indicated whether any Sierra Leonean nationals have been implicated in the case. The investigation remains focused on the Japanese suspects and the network believed to have operated from Sierra Leone.

Courtesy: Sierraleonemonitor & Phoenix