Prosecutors Arrest and Indict Suspects for Detaining and Killing Former Classmates in Mapo Officetel

Additional Crimes Not Included in Police Investigation, Such as 'Sleep Deprivation Torture' Added

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The men in their 20s accused of confining and murdering a high school classmate in an officetel in Mapo-gu, Seoul, have finally been brought to trial.

The Criminal Division 3 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Sang-hyun) announced on the 9th that they have indicted Ahn Mo (21) and Kim Mo (21) on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (retaliatory murder, etc.) and have detained them.

They are accused of taking the victim, Mr. A, to an officetel in Mapo-gu on March 31, confining him, and then assaulting and abusing him to death.

The prosecution also applied charges of violation of the Act on the Punishment of Violent Acts (joint coercion, joint injury, joint extortion), commercial kidnapping (kidnapping for profit), and retaliatory confinement under the Special Act.

According to the investigation, they threatened the victim to force him to write false debt repayment contracts four times between September and November last year, and assaulted him with a vacuum cleaner and a mobile phone, causing injuries.

Ahn and Kim, who were sued for injury last year, were investigated at the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul in January this year, and on March 31, they took the victim to Seoul and confined him with the intent of retaliation and extortion.

They coerced the victim into writing a "withdrawal of accusation contract" and made him send text messages to the police stating that he was withdrawing the accusation. They also extorted a total of 5.78 million won by forcing small payments on the victim's mobile phone and opening and selling a mobile phone under the victim's name.

From April this year until the victim's death in June, they repeatedly assaulted and injured the victim, tied him up, confined him, and restricted his food intake, continuing the abuse.

When the victim collapsed due to deteriorating health in early last month, they locked him in the bathroom, sprayed water on his naked body, and continued the abuse, which ultimately led to his death from pneumonia and malnutrition. Police investigation revealed that the victim weighed only 34 kg at the time of death, indicating severe underweight.

The police responded to a report around 6 a.m. on the 13th of last month and found the victim dead and naked in the officetel, and they urgently arrested Ahn and Kim. They were detained two days later.

The prosecution indicted another classmate, Mr. A, without detention on charges of aiding the crime (commercial kidnapping assistance) by informing the perpetrators of the victim's outing schedule in Daegu in March this year.

The prosecution stated, "After the transfer, we analyzed mobile phones and interrogated the defendants," adding, "We uncovered additional severe violent acts such as 'torture by sleep deprivation' that were not confirmed during the police investigation, clarified the circumstances at the time of the victim's death, and established the intent of retaliatory murder."

They also said, "To support the victim, we arranged funeral expenses and psychological counseling near the bereaved family's residence at the prosecutors' office," and added, "We will do our utmost to maintain the prosecution so that the defendants receive punishment commensurate with their crimes."

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