Japanese tourist’s suitcase ‘swiped’ in the subway… Man in his 50s arrested for stealing 34.5 million won

A man in his 50s who disappeared with a suitcase left in a subway train by a foreigner was caught by the police.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s subway police unit announced on the 26th that it arrested Mr. A on charges of embezzlement of stolen property and recovered all 30 million won in cash and 507,000 yen (about 4.5 million won) contained in the bag.

Mr. A is accused of taking a suitcase left by the victim at Yangju Station on Subway Line 1 at approximately 6:22 a.m. on the 14th and stealing the cash inside.

The next day, the police received a report that a suitcase containing cash and yen was lost and began an investigation. The victim was a Japanese tourist who had no idea about the domestic geography or the location of the loss.

As a result of analyzing video data from about 80 closed-circuit (CC) TVs in about 30 locations from Jongno 3-ga Station on Line 1 to Dongducheon Station, it was confirmed that the victim left his suitcase behind at Kwangwoon University Station. Mr. A, who was in the same train as the victim, got off with the victim’s suitcase when he arrived at Yangju Station.

The police tracked Mr. A’s movements, arrested him within a day, and confiscated a total of 34.5 million won, including 15 million won in cash, 507,000 yen in yen, and 15 million won deposited into a bank account, from his residence.

According to the police, Mr. A reportedly stated, “I used pliers to open the lock and took out the contents, including cash.”

The police returned the recovered cash and items to the victim who returned to Korea on the 24th, and the victim expressed his gratitude, saying, “I am glad I got it back thanks to the Korean police.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s subway police unit advised that if you find lost items from a train, you should leave them at the police station or station office or report them to 112.

[email protected]