A Japanese man named Takumi Ouchi tracked down a 31-year-old pregnant woman, Haruki Komatsumoto, using a GPS device concealed within a plush toy. The crime occurred on December 31 of last year.
According to police reports, Ouchi is the victim’s former romantic partner. He allegedly beat Komatsumoto before stabbing her in an attempt to regain contact. She suffered bruising on her arms during the struggle, which she sustained while protecting her unborn child.
Police detained Ouchi on January 21 after surveillance footage showed him near Komatsumoto’s residence at the time of the murder. He denied all charges.
The couple had dated for less than a year and ended their relationship in 2024. Reports indicate that Ouchi repeatedly harassed Komatsumoto through phone calls and messages, seeking to rekindle the romance. She blocked his communications after declining his advances.
Days before her death, Komatsumoto received a package containing a plush toy at her parents’ home. The item came with an anonymous message from what appeared to be an amusement park offering a lottery prize. Unaware of its true purpose, she brought it home. It is believed that Ouchi had embedded a GPS tracker within the toy, enabling him to locate her precisely.
After further attempts by Ouchi to contact her, Komatsumoto anonymously reported the crime to law enforcement.
Japanese authorities report a sharp rise in cases where GPS devices are used for harassment: from three incidents in 2021 to 196 in 2023, 370 in 2024, and an estimated 592 in early 2025. Information technology expert Akiko Takahashi has highlighted the challenges of detecting such hidden tracking devices but advised users to activate Bluetooth and location notifications on their phones to identify potential trackers.
