Briefly: Fresh arrests in slain siblings case

Police rearrested a former city official and a former gangster Thursday after the bodies of two wealthy siblings from Tokyo were found in a mountain forest in Nagano Prefecture.

Kazuo Okikura, 60, and Yoriaki Imaruoka, 64, already arrested on suspicion of theft, were served fresh arrest warrants in connection with the abandoned bodies of Yasuyo Obuku, 54, a librarian, and her brother, Hirokazu, 51.

The siblings, who lived in Akiruno, western Tokyo, were last heard from on April 9.

Imaruoka, a former gangster and construction business operator, admitted he killed the siblings and buried the bodies with Okikura and told police where to find them.

Police suspect Okikura, a former Akiruno municipal government official, used information gained on the job to learn about the siblings' wealth, and arranged the plot to take their money.

More than 5 million yen in cash was withdrawn from the siblings' bank accounts on 15 occasions between April 9 and 14. The two suspects were arrested on April 21 in connection with the thefts.(IHT/Asahi: May 9,2008)