Ex-Policeman Nabbed over Defrauding Person with Dementia

Kyoto, Nov. 13 (Jiji Press)–The Kyoto prefectural police department on Thursday arrested a 61-year-old former policeman of the western Japan prefecture on suspicion of defrauding an elderly person with dementia out of her bank card and bankbook. The former officer, Masato Takeuchi, and another suspect arrested over the case, 55-year-old company employee Hiromi Ishichi, are apparently denying the allegations. Takeuchi is a board member of a Kyoto-based group, mainly comprising former police officers, that provides daily assistance to elderly people with dementia. The police believe the two suspects withdrew several million yen in cash using the victim’s card. According to investigative sources, the suspects are believed to have told a 96-year-old woman who uses the services of the assistance group, called Tsunagi, between March and June that they would manage her passbooks. Tsunagi offers a financial management service and a service in which group members pick up elderly people with dementia who are held for protection at police stations or police boxes, on behalf of their families. On its webpage, the group vows to “contribute to the creation of a local community where elderly people can live with peace of mind, in cooperation with the police.” The arrested former policeman had worked in a Kyoto police division dealing with thieves. After retiring in spring 2023, he and another former police officer founded Tsunagi. The incident came to light after family members of the victim consulted the Kyoto police in June. The police accepted a criminal complaint from the family this month. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]