Missing Japanese mafia boss arrested after tattoos go viral

Thanks to someone taking a liking to some tattoos and the collective sharing efforts of social media, a 74-year-old Japanese gang member was arrested after he stayed in hiding for a murder he was involved in 10 years ago. Shigeharu Shirai was recently taken into custody in a province north of Bangkok after someone took a picture of his tattoos while he was sitting around a checkers table and placed it on Facebook. The picture was shared 10,000 times, leading to Shirai being taken into custody in connection with the death of Kazuhiko Otobe.



Shirai maintained a low profile after the murder of the rival gang member. He had a wife and would go out into public, which led to the picture being taken and his eventual capture. 
Wirachai Songmetta, who is the Police General said that a few times a year Shirai would receive cash, gifts, and visits from his associates. 

Shirai along with seven others are charged with the death of Otobe, which could bring the 15-year-old case to an end. Otobes death happened because of friction between members affiliated with Yamaguchi-gumi.

The telltale sign which led to Shirai's arrest lied in the design of his tattoos. Members of the crime syndicate are said to be covered in tattoos on their backs to upper arms and are also known to be missing the top portion of their pinky fingers.

Source: cbsnews.com