CASE CRACKED:

TODAY IN HISTORY November 7th 1984

BACKGROUND:

Up to this date, a criminal gang in Japan calling themselves the "Monster with 21 Faces" had committed, among many other crimes, arson, kidnapping and attempted murder through the lacing of store food products with cyanide and placing them back on shelves with an ominous warning reading: "This has poison in it. If you eat it you will die. Monster with 21 faces".

The letter received on this date was one in a long line of extortion and harassment letters sent to various Japanese food companies.

This campaign of terror began March 18th 1984.

TODAY IN HISTORY: November 7th 1984

At 7 am on November 7th 1984 an envelope arrives in the mailbox at the Osaka residence of Hiroshi Wada, General manager of House Foods Industry.

House Foods is a major Japanese company known for its snacks, noodles and most of all, curry.

In the envelope Hiroshi Wada find 2 letters. One is for him and the other is for his boss, House Foods president, Ikuo Urakami.

Also sent with the letters is solid acid, and a packet of House Foods "Vermont Curry", which had been injected with acid. There is also a micro-cassette tape containing the recorded voice message of Katsuhisa Ezaki, president of another Japanese company Ezaki Glico who had been kidnapped from his home on March 18th the same year.

The letters sent to House Foods on November 7th 1984 read:

English Text Translated:
“To Wada
Give this letter to the president. If you give it to the police, we will burn your house down. Do not use the phone. Police have tapped the phone. Do not use mail either. Show it to Urakami or Otsuka directly.
Monster with 21 faces”

Japanese Text:
わだえ
この手紙社長えとどけるんや
けいさつえとどけおったらおまえのうち
もやしたる
TEL つこたらあかんで
けいさつ盗ちょうしとる
ゆうびんもあかんで
浦上か大つかえちょくせつ見せるんや
かい人21面相

Hiroshi Wada, instructed to show the envelopes contents to House Foods President Ikuo Urakami, and Vice President Kunihiko Otsuka, does so immediately.

English Text Translated:

“To Urakami

We sent you a tape before so you know that it’s the real us. If you show this letter to the police. We will do the same as Glico and Morinaga.

In 6 months Morinaga will be destroyed. Glico didn’t pay 60 million yen so it is 600 million. Morinaga disobeyed us so we raised it to 200 million yen. If they disobey us again we will make it 400 million yen.

You, have to pay 100 million yen. Cheap right? If we do a secret transaction we won’t tell to the police. Our mouths are more shut than those of the police. You are a seller in Osaka, you understand what you need to do right? Tell Kishimoto and get the money.

If you collect the money in Tokyo and Osaka, police will know. Police control the banks. Phones are tapped too. They also visit you all the time too. If police find out, we will do the same as with Morinaga.

Even if we don’t put the poison in, supermarkets will listen to what we say. We can easily destroy your company. We have pistols, rifles, dynamite, hydrocyanic acid and hydrochloric acid. Police only have pistols. We are stronger.

The man on the video, voice on the tape is not us. We won’t get caught. Prepare the money in bundles of 5 million yen. Use the old 10 000 yen bills. Put it in 2 white vinyl bags in each 50 million yen. Get in a white van and wait.

Wait at the national route 1 restaurant "Sato’’, Fushimi branch in Shimotoba, Fushimi-ku Kyoto-city TEL 075 622 5977 on the 14th of November wednesday at 7:30 p.m. One person in the van, the other in the restaurant. Prepare 2 people from general affairs. Give them Kansai road maps, Kyoto, Nagaokakyo, Takatsuki, Ibaraki, Settsu, Toyonaka, Takarazuka, Moriguchi, Hiraoka and Amagasaki maps.

We will call the branch office in Esaka TEL 06 384 7211. Wada will answer the phone. We will tell you the location of the letter. Letter is in a small envelope and is taped on both sides. Wada will call from Esaka to Sato.

Prepare well. If you fail to deliver the money we will call again. Do not tell the police. We will call the branch in Kita Osaka on the 9th or 12th of November. If you pay the money we will play NHK’s news voice. Say the words written below. "This is House Foods Kita Osaka, branch director is not here so call again tomorrow after noon."

Do your board of directors meeting as usual so that the police doesn’t suspect anything. If you disobey us, someone of our people among the police will call us and let us know. If you disobey us we will destroy your company. Wada will kill president and vice president.

House’s curry is spicy. It has 1g of hydrocyanic acid. If you think we are lying, go to the pharmacy and buy silver nitrate and try to dissolve the hydrocyanic acid in water. It will turn white.

Monster with 21 faces”

Japanese Text:

浦上え
まえにテープおくっとったからわしらほんもの
ゆうことわかるやろ
この手紙けいさつえとどけてもええで
グリコ森永とおなじめにあわせたる
あと半とししたら森永つぶれるで
グリコほ 6000万ださんで 6億ではなしついた
森永はわしらにさかろおたさかい 2億ではなし
してるまたさかろおたら 4億や
おまえとこ 1億ややすいもんやろ
うらとりひきはけいさつやマスコミにはいわへん
わしらけいさつよりくちかたい
おまえも大阪しょう人ならそんとくよおわかるやろ
岸本にゆうて金あつめるんや
東京大阪であつめたらけいさつにばれるで
けいさつぎんこうに手まわしとる
TLも盗ちょうしとる
おまえんとこけいさつよおきよるやろ
けいさつにばれたら森永とおなじになるで
どくいれてもいれんでもスーパーわしらの
ゆうことぜったいにきく
おまえの会社つぶすのかんたんや
わしらてっぽうもピストルもマイトもえんさんも
せいさんももってる
けいさつピストルだけやわしらの方がつよい
ビデオの男もテープのこえもわしらとちがう
わしらつかまらへん
金は 500万づつたばにして 1万円のふるい
さつでよおいするんや白いビニールバッグ 2こに
5000万づついれて白のワゴンにのって
まて
京都市ふしみ区下鳥羽のこくどう1号せんのレストラン
さとふしみ店 TEL 075 622 5977 で 11月14日
水ようごご7じ30分にまて
ワゴンに 1人のってレストランに 1人おれそおむの
社員 2人よおいするんや
かんさいの道路ちづと京都長おか京タカツキイバラキ
せっつ豊中宝づか守口ひらおか尼崎のちづ 2人に
もたせとけ
8じに江坂のしゅっちょう所TEL06 384 7211えTELする
わだが TELとれ手紙あるとこおしえたる
手紙はちっこいふうとうにいれてりょうめんテープで
はってある
わだが江坂からさとえ TEL するんや
よおれんしゅうしとけ
金うけわたししっぱいしたらまたれんらくする
けいさつえはゆったらあかんで
11月9日か12日のごご8じに北大阪しゅっちょう所え TELする
金だすならわしら NHK のニュースの声ながすよって
下にかいとるとおりゆえ
ハウス食品北大阪しゅっちょう所です
所長はおりませんのであすのひるでんわしてください
けいさつにしられんよおに重役はいつもどおりしとれ
さかろおたらけいさつのナカマがれんらくしてくる
わしらにさかろおたら会社つぶれる社長 - 副社長わだが
殺したるハウスのカレーはからいで
せいさん 1グラムいれてあるうそおもったらやっきょく
いってしょうさんぎんこおてカレーについとるせいさん
みずにとかしていれてみ白うなるで
かい人21面相

Also on November 7th 1984, Morinaga & Company whose food products had been poisoned by the criminal gang was forced to reduce its current production by 90%.

This information and more on this true crime case is presented in an 8 episode podcast, and is set to begin release on November 17th 2020 on all major podcast platforms and at www.TheMonsterWith21Faces.com and follow r/monsterwith21faces