Elderly man with hands and feet tied found dead in Yokohama home

YOKOHAMA — Police in Yokohama are investigating the death of a 75-year-old man whose body was found in his home on Wednesday.

Police said the man, Hiroharu Goto, had bruises all over his body and his hands and feet were tied, NHK reported. His body was found after a neighbor called 110 at around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and said the window next to the front door had been broken since Tuesday.

Police said the front door was unlocked and the bay window was broken large enough for a person to pass through.

There were also multiple footprints found inside the house, and some of the dressers and other items showed signs of having been opened and ransacked, police said.

Kanagawa Prefectural Police are investigating whether there is a connection with this case and a home break-in that occurred on the same day in Shirai City, Chiba Prefecture, as the modus operandi is similar.

Police believe there is a gang of thieves recruited via mobile phone apps responsible for a series of robbery and assault cases during home invasions in the Kanto region and surrounding areas over the past three months.

© Japan Today