Article published on October 22nd, 1984.

HEADLINE: DEADLY SWEETS SHOW UP IN TOKYO

TOKYO (UPI) – Cyanide-laced candy believed planted by the "Man with 21 Faces" gang turned up in the capital today after police abruptly postponed a house-to- house search for the extortionists in the city of Osaka.

The first reported cyanide threat in Tokyo came when poison- laced Morinaga caramel and candy drops labeled, "Danger. Poisoned. Eat this and Die" were dropped in the mailbox of a family market in the Saitama district, police report. ed.

The extortion ring had promised to unleash a reign of cyanide terror across Japan beginning last Wednesday if the Morinaga Candy Co. did not pay them $410,000.

To dramatize their threat, they planted marked packets of cyanide- faced sweets in the Osaka and Fukuoka areas and sent other packets of poisoned candy to news organizations. No deaths have been reported as a result of the poisonings.

Today's cyanide threat suggests the gang has not abandoned -Its campaign despite a week's wait since the last threat.

Police said today's typewritten messages were signed, "The Man with 21 Faces" and were essentially the same as those received in the Osaka region. They appeared to be typed on the same typewriter and police analysis concluded they were from the same group.

Police refused to say why today's scheduled house-to-house search of the Osaka area - where most of the poisoned candy has been found -- was put off.

"We have decided to put off the search for about one week and, instead, maintain the present state of nationwide alert," said a police spokesman in Osaka.

The "Monster with 21 Faces" extortion gang said it planted 20 packets of poison candy- marked with labels bearing such warnings 'as, "Eat this and Die"-in stores in between Tokyo and Fukuoka, about 700 miles west. Thirteen have been found.