In Japan, a man tracked a woman using GPS in a toy and killed her

In Japan, a man named Takumi Ouchi tracked down a 31-year-old pregnant Haruki Komatsumoto using a GPS device hidden in a plush toy and killed her. This was reported on February 2 by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper.

The crime was committed on December 31 last year. According to the publication, the Japanese man is a woman's former lover. Allegedly, he beat her first, and then stabbed her. She had bruises on her arms, which she received while trying to protect the child. Komatsumoto's death shocked the public, and the case itself began to be widely discussed throughout the country.

It is specified that on January 21, the police of Ibaraki Prefecture detained the suspect. He was found on surveillance cameras near the victim's house at the time of the murder. The man denied the charges.

The couple had been in a relationship for less than a year and broke up in 2024. According to reports, the man harassed Komatsumoto with phone calls and messages in an attempt to resume the relationship. Because of this, the victim blocked it.

A few days before her death, a package with a plush toy arrived at her parents' house. It was accompanied by a message from an alleged amusement park with a lottery win notification. Unsuspectingly, the woman took the toy home. It is assumed that the man hid a GPS device in it, which helped him find out the exact address of his ex-girlfriend. After renewed attempts to contact the man, Komatsumoto anonymously contacted the police.

According to the National Police of Japan, the use of GPS devices for harassment increased from three reported cases in 2021 to 196 in 2023, 370 in 2024 and 592 in 2025. Information technology expert Akiko Takahashi pointed out the difficulty of detecting a GPS device hidden in a toy, but recommended turning on Bluetooth and tracking notifications on phones to identify tracking devices.

I watch and cry: how hackers monetized spying on lovers

How to protect yourself from digital control from an intrusive partner

The Daily Star newspaper reported on December 19, 2025, that a wife and her lover had been sentenced to 19 years in the UK for trying to kill her husband. According to the publication, the woman wanted to receive a large insurance payout and resolve the issue with her spouse, who prevented her from building a new relationship. As a result of the attack on September 20 of the same year, the victim was injured.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.