A man in his 50s arrested for obstructing work by lying to a taxi driver about being a COVID-19 confirmed patient

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] A man in his 50s who lied to a taxi driver by claiming to be a "confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19)" was arrested by the police on charges of obstruction of business.

The Daegu Nambu Police Station announced on the 10th that they have formally charged Mr. A, a man in his 50s, with obstruction of business by deception.

According to the police, Mr. A is accused of taking a taxi driven by driver Mr. B on the 4th and traveling to a destination in Nam-gu, Daegu, then falsely claiming to be a "COVID-19 confirmed patient." Subsequently, Mr. B visited a nearby public health center and reported that he had been in contact with a COVID-19 patient, which forced him to suspend taxi operations for 24 hours.

The police received a report from the health center that the COVID-19 patient had been released from quarantine and launched an investigation, apprehending Mr. A within a day. It was confirmed that Mr. A was not a COVID-19 patient and had no symptoms or history of being tested at the health center.

A police official stated, "Lying about being infected with COVID-19 to disrupt business or interfere with official duties is subject to criminal punishment," adding, "We will strictly respond to any illegal acts that increase public anxiety, regardless of the type."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.