This episode introduces a case where a middle-aged man, suffering from unrequited love, tries to win a woman’s heart by enlisting the help of a professional and offering money in return. Please note this is not a case in which our company was directly involved, but a story we heard from another detective agency.
Unrequited Love of Middle-aged Man
The main character in this story, Man A, is a 47-year-old married man. However, his relationship with his wife is on the verge of breaking down and he is contemplating divorce. Man A has deep feelings for a woman in her 20s (Woman B) who is a former colleague and unmarried. Woman B was under Man A’s supervision until half a year ago, after which she quit her job and began living alone. He had concealed his romantic feelings for her, avoiding personal interaction due to their workplace relationship. Before she left the workplace, Man A consulted her about her resignation, and they exchanged LINE (SNS app) IDs. However, after she left the workplace, he found it difficult to deepen his relationship with her, which caused him distress. As a result, he searched for a private detective agency to investigate her current situation and discovered a service called “Reconciliation Maneuver.”
The Process of Reconciliation Maneuver
Man A sought a private detective agency skilled in couple busters and reconciliation maneuvers. The agency first conducted a basic investigation to understand Woman B’s situation. Based on this information, they devised a plan where a female operative would become a casual friend and arrange a reunion between Man A and Woman B. Approximately three months after the request, the female operative succeeded in becoming friends with Woman B and could understand her current situation. It was soon clear that she had a new boyfriend, and the PI agency deemed it necessary to do a couple-buster work.
Emergence of New Rival
Seeing that the situation had already progressed too far, Man A decided to request the coupel-buster workt. He was determined to win her love by any means necessary. He had already paid over 1.5 million yen, but he was told that the couple-buster work would require an additional budget of about 1 million yen per month, totaling 2 to 3 million yen over three months. Man A’s father, when he was in his late 40s, had an extramarital relationship with a Philippine hostess and ultimately left his family to be with her. As a result, Man A believed that his father’s actions influenced his own, as if his blood carried the same tendencies.
Preliminary Investigation for Couple-Buster Work
In the initial investigation undertaken for analysis, they confirmed that Woman B was in frequent contact with her boyfriend, Man C. This observation continued for about two weeks, revealing that Man C lived alone in a detached house that he had purchased ten years ago using a housing loan, which he was still repaying. Further investigation revealed that it was highly likely that Woman B would move into Man C’s home. To confirm this, the investigation was temporarily suspended and then resumed; at this point, it was confirmed that Woman B had completely moved into Man C’s home.
Background Investigation on Woman B’s Boyfriend
Man C, the new boyfriend of woman B, was a divorcee living alone in a house with remaining mortgage payments, having lost his home with his wife and children. Upon gaining this information, the requester, Man A, commissioned the PI to investigate Man C further. Having already spent more than 5 million yen on investigation fees, Man A expressed his intention to continue the investigation using the inheritance he had recently received from his deceased father.
Investigation Aimed at Busting the Couple
Man C was an independent interior decorator, and it was difficult for the couple-buster PI to find the appropriate time to set up a honey trap due to his lifestyle. Hence, the couple-buster detective proposed conducting a more extensive background investigation on Man C to solidify the operational strategy against him. Man A accepted this proposal, and the detective proceeded with the background investigation on Man C, discovering that he was in significant debt and his sister was working at an escort delivery service.
Threats Using Anonymous Accounts
The couple-buster detective disseminated the photos of the sister working at the escort service and the store name through an anonymous account. Also, using an anonymous account, Man C was insulted as “a debt-ridden middle-aged divorce living with a young woman.” Furthermore, the detective exposed the real name of Man C’s sister, her occupation at the escort service, photos of her frequently entering and leaving love hotels, and collection letters from consumer credit services, exposing his personal information. Man, A received reports on the content of the couple-buster detective’s operation on his smartphone but never personally conducted any attacks.
Self-Staged Operation
When the time was right, Man A casually contacted Woman B on LINE (SNS app) under the pretense of a seasonal greeting. He subtly mentioned a defamation problem that had arisen at his company. Man A belonged to his company’s legal department and had a deep knowledge of legal responses. Knowing this, she would have felt that man A was reliable. As expected, she stated that another person she knew was harassed. Gradually, Woman B frequently asked him for advice regarding the defamation damage to her acquaintance. It was clear that the attacks on Man C were working. Man A increased the intensity of the anonymous attacks against Man C to make her depend on him more.
Arrest and Settlement
One day, while man A was at home, police officers suddenly visited and confiscated his PCs, smartphones, and documents. All communication between man A and the detective he had hired was revealed from the confiscated devices. He was arrested for instigating stalking, defamation, intimidation, and violating the Nuisance Prevention Act. A member of the detective agency involved in the harassment was also arrested at the same time. Man A promptly hired a lawyer and negotiated a settlement with the victim, eventually settling the matter for 8 million yen.
Total Loss
However, as a result, Man A had to take a long leave from work for the settlement negotiations, which led to his dismissal. Then, the fact that he had been arrested was conveyed to his wife, who initiated divorce proceedings. In the end, Man A lost everything: his job, his marriage, his kids, the woman he loved, and a total of approximately 20 million yen in investigation costs and settlement money.
Summary
In this case, Man A’s excessive thoughts and actions and the couple-buster detective’s illegal activities led to a tragic outcome. This teaches us that love cannot be gained through money. If one truly loves another from the heart, one will not consider doing anything the person dislikes. Excessive possessiveness and desire for ownership should be interpreted as mere obsession, not true love.
At Japan PI, we do not get involved in reconciliation or couple-buster operations, but if you need a background investigation, we are available to help.
