Taxi Robbery Murderers Caught After 16 Years... Investigation Records Total 25,000 Pages

After killing a taxi driver and stealing valuables, the perpetrators were caught 16 years later following persistent police investigation.

The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency's Special Investigation Team for Major Unsolved Cases announced on the 7th that two men in their 40s, identified as Mr. A and Mr. B, were arrested on charges of robbery and murder.

The two, who were friends, are accused of stabbing and killing taxi driver Mr. C (43 years old at the time of death) with a weapon around 3 a.m. on July 1, 2007, on the roadside under the Namdong Overpass of the 2nd Gyeongin Expressway in Namdong-gu, Incheon. They allegedly stole valuables from him, abandoned his body at the crime scene, stole his taxi, drove it to a residential area in Michuhol-gu, set fire to the back seat, and fled.

At the time of the incident, the police formed a dedicated investigation team and conducted a wide-ranging investigation, checking 5,900 registered suspect vehicles in the metropolitan area, 26,000 base station communication records, and interviewing about 870 households, but failed to find clues to identify the suspects.

Later, in 2016, the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency's Unsolved Cases Investigation Team took over the case, reanalyzed investigation records and scene materials, and conducted supplementary investigations including fingerprint re-examination, interviews with related persons, and profiling.

Taxi Driver Robber and Murderer Arrested in Incheon After 16 Years
[Photo by Incheon Police Agency]

To identify the white license plate vehicle captured on CCTV at the taxi arson scene, the police reanalyzed about 92,000 vehicles of the same type and narrowed down the suspicious vehicles to 990. They personally met 2,400 current and former owners of the suspicious vehicles and repeatedly examined the vehicle manuals used as fire starters during the taxi arson, eventually discovering latent fingerprints (small fingerprints).

Through the latent fingerprints, the police confirmed the past owner of the Credos vehicle used by the suspects just before the crime and arrested Mr. A on January 5. Subsequently, after further investigation into Mr. A's financial transactions and associates, Mr. B was also arrested as an accomplice on the 28th of last month.

During police questioning, Mr. A denied the charges, saying "I don't remember," but Mr. B confessed, stating, "I committed the crime with Mr. A to steal money."

A police official said, "The investigation records for this case alone amount to 25,000 pages," adding, "Since the statute of limitations for murder was abolished, the Unsolved Cases Investigation Team was operating, and persistent dedication combined with scientific investigation techniques enabled us to apprehend the criminals."

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