Cuffed captive

In what hopefully isn’t a new craze amongst, erm, the crazed, a man was arrested on Monday for keeping a high school girl prisoner for 22 days. Less than a week after the capture of another man for a disturbingly similar abduction.

Dried fruit vendor Takayuki Kawamoto met his 17-year-old victim through a mobile phone matchmaking site, and then kept her captive with the use of handcuffs. Even using them during trips out in the car together, when Kawamoto would handcuff his victim to the steering wheel if he needed to get out.

After his arrest he told the police, “I kept her prisoner because I wanted to be with her.” And if in any further proof was needed in regards to the abductor’s inability to grasp basic social norms and dating techniques, he allegedly ordered the girl to fall in love with him. Threatening to kill her if she didn’t.

Kawamoto’s shift from love to laziness however was his downfall, as forcing the girl to work at his dried fruit stall allowed her a shot at freedom. A chance the young woman took, managing to flee to a nearby police box before Kawamoto could recapture her.

And as an added bit of oddness, Kawamoto shared an apartment with his mother and brother. Neither of who appear to have raised any questions (or indeed an alarm) in regards to their family member and his confined cohabiter.