Authorities in Indonesia say a Japanese suspect in an investment fraud detained in the Southeast Asian nation earlier this year is believed to have fled from country to country after leaving Japan.

Indonesian immigration officials said on Wednesday they had taken Yamazaki Yusuke into custody on January 31 on suspicion of attempting to enter Malaysia illegally by boat from Indonesia.

Indonesian police and immigration officials held a news conference on the island of Batam on Thursday, with the 43-year-old suspect in attendance.

The authorities said they believe Yamazaki traveled to half a dozen places, including Hong Kong, Thailand, Turkey and Indonesia, after fleeing Japan in 2020.

When a reporter asked about his life in Indonesia, Yamazaki said he had been staying home, not doing anything in particular.

Yamazaki was vice president of Nishiyama Farm, a company based in Okayama Prefecture. He has been on an international wanted list for allegedly masterminding a fraud scheme that involved soliciting investments in an overseas fruit business.

Japanese police say the scheme defrauded more than 900 people across Japan out of more than 13 billion yen, or about 86 million dollars.

Several individuals involved in the crime were found guilty of collecting money in ways that violated Japanese law.