Post by Soutpeel on Jan 12, 2018 7:39:21 GMT 7
Yakuza boss arrested in Thailand after photos of his tattoos go viral
Police capture 72-year-old Japanese fugitive who was recognised when images of his body art were circulated online
A retired Japanese crime boss has been arrested in Thailand, ending more than 14 years on the run, after photos of his yakuza tattoos and a missing little finger went viral.
Shigeharu Shirai, 72, was apprehended while he was shopping on Wednesday in the central market town of Lopburi.
Japanese authorities had sought his arrest over an alleged role in the shooting of a rival in 2003, after which he fled to Thailand, married a local woman and drifted into a seemingly peaceful retirement.
That was until a resident posted photos of the diminutive retiree playing a streetside checkers game with his intricate gang tattoos on full show and a missing little finger – yakuza members often slice off a fingertip to atone for an offence.
The images were shared more than 10,000 times and caught the attention of Japanese police, who alerted the Thai authorities.
“The suspect admitted he was the leader of the yakuza sub-gang Kodokai,” said a Thai police spokesman, Gen Wirachai Songmetta, referring to an affiliate of Japan’s largest yakuza gang, Yamaguchi-gumi.
www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/11/yakuza-boss-arrested-thailand-photos-tattoos-viral-japan
Police capture 72-year-old Japanese fugitive who was recognised when images of his body art were circulated online
A retired Japanese crime boss has been arrested in Thailand, ending more than 14 years on the run, after photos of his yakuza tattoos and a missing little finger went viral.
Shigeharu Shirai, 72, was apprehended while he was shopping on Wednesday in the central market town of Lopburi.
Japanese authorities had sought his arrest over an alleged role in the shooting of a rival in 2003, after which he fled to Thailand, married a local woman and drifted into a seemingly peaceful retirement.
That was until a resident posted photos of the diminutive retiree playing a streetside checkers game with his intricate gang tattoos on full show and a missing little finger – yakuza members often slice off a fingertip to atone for an offence.
The images were shared more than 10,000 times and caught the attention of Japanese police, who alerted the Thai authorities.
“The suspect admitted he was the leader of the yakuza sub-gang Kodokai,” said a Thai police spokesman, Gen Wirachai Songmetta, referring to an affiliate of Japan’s largest yakuza gang, Yamaguchi-gumi.
www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/11/yakuza-boss-arrested-thailand-photos-tattoos-viral-japan
