Pakistani Defendant Acquitted on Retrial in Miyagi Robbery-Death Case After Original 23-Year Sentence Traced to Faulty Interpretation
This article organizes publicly available information into a single account. Where it describes an arrest or an ongoing investigation, that reflects only one stage of criminal procedure and does not mean guilt has been established (the presumption of innocence applies). We will update this article as new information becomes available, including the outcome of prosecution, non-prosecution, or trial. This article is not intended to unfairly disparage any individual, group, nationality, ethnicity, or belief, and aims to provide objective, fact-based information.
The Sendai District Court, presided over by Judge Takeshi Sakakibara, acquitted Rehman Abdal, 43, a Pakistani national, on June 25, 2026, in a retrial on charges including robbery resulting in death. According to Kyodo News and other outlets, he had been indicted over allegedly strangling Singh Lakhwendra, an Indian national who ran a construction company, at his home in Shibata, Miyagi Prefecture, between July 25 and 26, 2020, and stealing his bag and other belongings.
At the original trial in October 2021, the Sendai District Court sentenced him to 23 years in prison based on a confession he made during questioning. However, in March 2024, the Sendai High Court found that the Punjabi interpreter's translation of that confession had "exceeded the limits" of appropriate paraphrasing, overturned the original verdict, and sent the case back to the Sendai District Court for retrial. The retrial centered on whether the defendant had conspired with an alleged accomplice; prosecutors sought a 23-year sentence, but the court found "reasonable doubt remains as to whether there was a conspiracy" and returned a not-guilty verdict.
Current status: Whether prosecutors will appeal the verdict remains unclear as of this writing. The ruling was handed down on June 25 but was recirculated on social media in late August, drawing renewed attention. This article will be updated as further details emerge.
Editorial Perspective
No decision on indictment has been made at this stage, so this article reflects information from the investigative phase. An arrest is only one step in criminal procedure and does not establish guilt (the presumption of innocence). According to National Police Agency and Ministry of Justice statistics, the number of Penal Code cases involving foreign nationals visiting Japan has risen for two consecutive years since 2023, but remains below its mid-2000s peak (related article). A single case does not necessarily reflect the broader statistical trend; further developments are worth watching.