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CHIBA — Three people suspected of trying to defraud a homeowner out of 3.2 million yen (nearly $20,000) for purported repair work after torrential rain in Chiba Prefecture have been arrested, police said.

Mobara Police Station in Chiba Prefecture arrested Riku Matsudo, 23, who claims to be self-employed and lives in Chiba’s Hanamigawa Ward, and two others on suspicion of attempted fraud. The arrests are the first announced in connection with a fraud case related to the torrential rain that struck the prefecture between Aug. 13 and 14.

The three are suspected of visiting the home of a 67-year-old man in Mobara, Chiba Prefecture, on Aug. 30 and 31, posing as representatives of a remodeling company and telling him, “We’re visiting homes that suffered underfloor flooding at the request of the Mobara Municipal Government.”

They then allegedly proposed replacing a distribution board and doing floor work in an attempt to defraud the man of 3.2 million yen in cash. All three have remained silent, police said.

According to Mobara Police Station, the three told the man, “The floorboards have become soft, so you should have work done on the floor,” and “Could you please pay the 3.2 million yen in cash rather than by bank transfer?”

The man made inquiries with the Mobara Municipal Government on Aug. 31 and found out that it had made no such arrangement, so he reported the case to the police.

Officers on alert arrested Matsudo and another person at the scene the same day when they returned to the man’s home. Another person who fled by car was arrested on Sept. 1. Mobara Police Station is investigating possible additional offenses.

(Japanese original by Akiyo Takanashi, Chiba Bureau)