Tokyo police have arrested a senior leader of the "Prince Group," a Cambodian business network recognized as one of Asia's largest cybercrime and call center gangs. The suspect, a Cypriot national, was hiding in Japan before planning to submit false address change documents to obtain permanent residency rights.
Japanese media reported today (22 Jun), citing sources from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, that Japanese authorities arrested three suspects, including a senior executive of the "Prince Holding Group," a major transnational criminal network based in Cambodia currently under heavy sanctions by the U.S. and the U.K.
The key suspect named in the arrest warrant is Hu Xiaowei (also known as Hu Shi) and Chen Xiao'er, a 44-year-old Cypriot man of Chinese descent, currently a businessman with an undisclosed residence. Tokyo police arrested him on 14 June on charges of forging and using false electronic official documents.
Additionally, authorities arrested two other Chinese accomplices, including Li Yin Hong, 31, a company employee living in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo.
Reports state that the three suspects jointly planned to submit false moving-in and address change notifications for Hu Xiaowei to the Chuo Ward Office in Tokyo last April, with Li personally submitting the documents.
During interrogation, Hu admitted to registering his residency in Tokyo to qualify for permanent residency in Japan but denied detailed knowledge, claiming, "I am not familiar with the detailed procedures as I left everything to the agency company to handle."
According to investigators, the Prince Group is one of Asia's largest internet scam and cybercrime organizations. It lures victims from various countries with fraudulent job advertisements promising high salaries, then detains and coerces them into joining call center gangs conducting cross-border online scams, online gambling, and laundering billions of U.S. dollars.
Though Hu previously denied being a senior leader in an April interview with Reuters, and Prince Group issued a statement via a U.S. law firm denying any illegal involvement, U.S. authorities maintain that the group is a front for organized crime.
This arrest marks significant progress following the early-year deportation of Chen Zhu, the group's founder, from Cambodia to China for prosecution. Meanwhile, authorities across Asia—including Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong—have been arresting individuals and seizing substantial assets linked to this gray capital network.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department stated it will not remain passive and is preparing urgent, in-depth investigations to determine whether this transnational criminal network has extended its influence, concealed assets, or established fraudulent operations within Japan, aiming to eradicate the syndicate.