Dylan Bettencourt
The Japanese man who was mistakenly transferred a town’s entire Covid-19 fund has been arrested after gambling it all away.
The 24-year-old man in the Japanese town of Abu received the town’s entire Covid-19 fund of R5.6 million last month.
The fund was supposed to be split between 436 households in the town, but the entire amount was sent to the man first on the list.
When he realised the amount he had received, the Japanese man paid his final month’s rent and disappeared.
After police launched a manhunt for him, his lawyer claimed that he had already spent all the money gambling online.
Police eventually arrested the man who vowed to pay back the entire amount “even if it’s going to be bit by bit”.
The man is now in custody after being arrested “on suspicion of violating computer fraud laws”, a police officer told AFP.
The suspect told police that he had spent the entire fund gambling at online casinos, but reports suggest he moved parts of the money into different accounts before he took to gambling.
Abu Mayor Norihiko Hanada told reporters on Thursday that the arrest marks “a step towards the truth”.
“I don’t believe outright (that he used all the money), and I think it’s possible (some of the money is) somewhere,” he said.
The outraged community criticised the mayor and his team for incompetency.
The town’s government has, however, distributed another R5.6 million to the households who have been affected by Covid-19.
Image source: @TheNewYorkTimes
