Japanese accused of stealing US$7.3 million in Covid subsidies seized in Indonesian fishing village

An international manhunt for a Japanese man accused of stealing some US$7.3 million in coronavirus subsidies offered to struggling businesses in Japan ended in his capture in a fishing village on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Mitsuhiro Taniguchi, 47, reportedly submitted more than 1,700 false claims for pandemic relief funds on behalf of citizens he enticed with seminars promising quick and easy cash. When the plot started to sour, Taniguchi fled to Indonesia in a bid to recoup his losses through a series of investments in the fishing industry.