Wearing Diving Suits... Gang Steals 150,000 'Lost Balls' from Golf Course

Visited over 20 golf courses in Jeju region for 1 year and 4 months
Sold balls to professional buyers at 200 won each

Two men in their 60s who wore diving suits and chest waders to enter golf course water hazards at night, retrieving golf balls and selling them to dealers, were caught by the police.

A person identified as A wearing a diving suit is retrieving a golf ball from a water hazard on a golf course.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to Yonhap News on the 4th, the Seogwipo Police Station in Jeju arrested Mr. A (60) on charges of special theft for breaking into golf courses in the Jeju area and stealing 150,000 lost balls (golf balls lost during play). His accomplice, Mr. B, also in his 60s, is under investigation for the same charges.

They are accused of visiting more than 20 golf courses in the Jeju area over a period of 1 year and 4 months since December 2021, retrieving and collecting 150,000 golf balls that had fallen into water hazards. It is reported that Mr. A and others mainly entered the golf courses during late-night hours when security was relatively lax, wearing diving suits and chest waders they had prepared in advance to enter the water hazards on the golf courses. They then used long, tong-like golf ball retrievers to pick up the balls from the bottom one by one.

After receiving intelligence about their criminal activities, the police arrested Mr. A on the spot on the 2nd in an undisclosed location in Seogwipo City, Jeju.

According to the police, Mr. A and others sold the stolen golf balls to professional buyers, Mr. C and Mr. D, both in their 50s, at 200 won per ball. The profits of Mr. A and others amounted to about 30 million won, which they stated was used for living expenses.

Meanwhile, Mr. C and Mr. D, who purchased the golf balls from Mr. A and Mr. B, are under investigation for receiving stolen goods. They bought the golf balls knowing they were stolen. It was found that Mr. C and Mr. D graded the golf balls based on scratches and coating condition, reselling the good-quality balls at 10,000 won per 10 balls, making a fivefold profit.

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