Japanese yakuza boss Shigeharu Shirai has been arrested in Thailand after 15 years of hiding out from Japanese authorities. The 74-year-old was captured when a photo of his distinctive yakuza tattoos circulated on Facebook. The local Thai person who took the photo was unaware of Shirai's identity at the time, according to BBC News, but was soon identified by Japanese police and arrested in a city just north of Bangkok.
Japanese yakuza gangs are not illegal in principal, but have historically dealt in illicit activities such as gambling, prostitution, drug trafficking and cyber crimes. This particular boss had been accused of murdering a rival gang member back in 2003, and fled to Thailand where he was just recently arrested for visa violations.
Apparently, old dude was just chilling playing some chess on the side of the road when a passerby noticed his impressive ink and decided to take the picture that would get him handcuffed and extradited to Japan to be tried for murder. Thanks to Facebook, his tattoos and a pinky finger that was visibly missing a piece were enough for authorities in Japan to ID the yakuza boss. Thai police said Shirai admitted his identity when being arrested, but wasn't as forthcoming with any past murder confessions.
