Two Suspects in Multi-Million Won 'Malicious Fraud' That Devastated Ordinary Citizens Forcedly Repatriated from Cambodia

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Two suspects of serious fraud crimes who fled to Cambodia were caught through cooperation between our police and local police and forcibly repatriated to Korea.

The National Police Agency announced that on the morning of the 30th, suspects A (50) and B (50), accused of fraud and other charges, were forcibly repatriated through Incheon International Airport. A is accused of embezzling about 100 million KRW from Korean residents in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Malaysia, since 2011 under the pretext of business investment. B is accused of embezzling about 860 million KRW in total over six occasions, including 330 million KRW for remodeling construction fees in Korea.

In December last year, the National Police Agency secured intelligence that A was committing fraud against many Korean residents in Cambodia after the Philippines and Malaysia, and after tracking his whereabouts with local police, arrested him in June. The police estimate that at least 5 to 6 Korean residents were victims of A’s fraud. The amount of damage is estimated at about 10,000 USD (approximately 13.5 million KRW) per person. The National Police Agency, in consultation with the local escort team, also repatriated B, who committed habitual fraud crimes in Korea and fled to Cambodia, on the same day.

The National Police Agency plans to promote cooperation meetings related to serious fraud criminals who fled abroad in Cambodia. They also plan to actively request Cambodia to arrest and repatriate suspects. Kang Gitaek, head of the Interpol International Cooperation Division, said, "Since many serious fraud crimes such as phone financial fraud and overseas investment fraud occur overseas, international cooperation is very important," adding, "We will further strengthen the cooperation network among Interpol, major countries’ law enforcement agencies, and domestic investigative agencies to eradicate serious fraud crimes."

Earlier, Police Chief Yoon Hee-geun expressed his determination to eradicate serious fraud crimes upon his inauguration this month. In particular, crimes with many victims among ordinary people are defined as the seven major serious fraud crimes, and a related task force (TF) is responding. The seven major serious fraud crimes defined by the National Police Agency are ▲jeonse fraud ▲telecommunication financial fraud (voice phishing) and virtual asset-related similar deposit fraud ▲cyber fraud ▲insurance fraud ▲investment, business, and transaction-related organized fraud ▲large-scale damage fraud, among others.

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