Chinese couple suspected of directing Japanese scam operators in Cambodia rearrested in Japan

Japan's Tokai Television and other media reported on October 29 that a Chinese couple, first arrested in Japan on October 8 and suspected of directing Japanese scam operators in Cambodia, had been rearrested. Under Japan's criminal procedure, detention following an arrest can last up to 23 days. Rearrest generally concerns another alleged offence, following the principle that a separate offence requires its own arrest procedure; it is not a conviction. The suspects are Wang Shaofan, 33, and his wife Sun Jiaxuan, 22, who live in Saitama prefecture. The station reported on the case on October 9; the earlier report, including video, is available at https://www.kps-tv.com/news-pages/pages/2401.html?id=2401. Police suspect that, from a compound in Cambodia in May, the group impersonated police officers by telephone and defrauded a 61-year-old woman in Owari-Asahi of two million yen in cash. The rearrest concerns newly identified allegations under the Act on Punishment of Organised Crimes. Police say the couple managed 29 Japanese nationals. When some Japanese telephone operators temporarily returned to Japan, Wang travelled on the same flight; when Japanese operators travelled from Japan to Cambodia, Sun travelled on the same flight as them. Both speak fluent Japanese. Police suspect they served as guides and are investigating their roles and the operation's structure.