5 teenage boys arrested for setting fire to homeless man

TOKYO: Police on Monday arrested five teenage boys allegedly involved of setting fire a 52-year-old homeless man at a park in Tokyo's Kita Ward in May.

The five, including three first-year high school students, are believed to have repeatedly harassed homeless people in parks since April, the police said.

"Homeless people do not contribute to society and they are just like dogs and cats," one of the teens, a 17-year-old tile worker, said to the investigators. "I don't care if they are alive or dead."

According to the investigations, the five allegedly set fire to a homeless janitor lying on a bench in the park on the evening of May 13, lighting a plastic bag full of oil on him, saying 'Let's clean up the garbage.'

The homeless man was severely wounded with about 30 per cent burns and is still hospitalised.

The man usually slept at Internet cafes but happened to be in the park on that day, the police said.