TOKYO, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- A 19-year-old boy was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of assaulting a girl the previous day inside a house in Kofu city, west of Tokyo, Japan, police said.
The boy allegedly punched the girl in the head inside the house in Yamanashi Prefecture at around 3:45 a.m. local time on Tuesday (6:45 p.m. UTC Monday), the police said.
He was also involved in a suspected arson that burned down the house, killing two people presumed to be the girl's parents, the police noted, adding that he has admitted to the act and his face was burned. His name was withheld as he is a minor.
Two bodies were found after the house was destroyed in the fire early Tuesday, while Seiji Inoue and his wife, both residents of the house in their 50s, remained unaccounted for, the police said.
Inoue's two daughters were also living with them in the house.
The younger sister said she heard a quarrel and came downstairs at around 3:30 a.m. local time Tuesday (6:30 p.m. UTC Monday), and then saw a strange man in the dim light. She tried to flee but got attacked from behind.
Her older sister called the police and reported a thief had broken into the house.
A neighbor reported a fire in the house later, and several neighbors noticed the smell of oil, according to the police.
When driving to the house, police officers spotted a man walking about 100 meters from the site, but did not stop him immediately.
They started to suspect that the person might have been connected with the case after arriving at the house, but the man had fled.
The boy handed himself over to the police earlier in the day and was interrogated on a voluntary basis. Enditem
