An 80-Year-Old Lured Elementary Student by Saying "Pick Up the Fruit," Then Told Them "Go Home and Wash Your Hands"

Police Launch Investigation on Attempted Luring of Minors
Roaming Elementary School Saying "Pick Up the Fruit Behind the Fence"

An man in his 80s who lured children by asking them to pick up fruits in front of an elementary school and then invited them to his home saying "Let's go wash our hands" was arrested by the police.

On the 3rd, the police began a pre-investigation into Mr. A, a man in his 80s, on suspicion of attempted inducement of a minor. Mr. A is accused of attempting to lure an elementary school student to his home in front of an elementary school in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, on the 27th of last month, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

[Image source=MBN news screen capture]

According to nearby closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage at the time of the incident, Mr. A was wandering the street in front of the elementary school and called out to a passing child. He pointed to a tree and asked for something, and the child moved beyond the wall and continued the conversation with Mr. A.

According to the police investigation, Mr. A asked the child to "pick up the fruit that fell behind the fence" and then lured the child to his home by saying they should go wash their hands. However, the child did not accept the proposal and returned inside the tutoring center, so the attempt failed. Mr. A glanced back once and then disappeared. The child's parents, upon learning of this, reported it to the police.

It is reported that Mr. A also failed to lure an elementary school student using the same method the day before the incident. In fact, CCTV footage showed Mr. A wandering the area the previous day. One elementary school student told MBN, "(After picking up the fruit) some got on my hands, so I was going to wash them at school, but I heard he insisted that I wash my hands at his house."

Recently, among parents in the area, text messages have been circulating warning of similar incidents near other elementary schools. The school announced that it would strengthen safety guidance for students and increase patrols in the vicinity.

According to the police, there has been only one report of victimization related to Mr. A so far. It was confirmed that Mr. A has no prior criminal record. The police plan to investigate whether Mr. A habitually lured children based on legal review and the content of the text messages.

Meanwhile, according to Article 287 of the Criminal Act, a person who abducts or lures a minor shall be punished by imprisonment for up to 10 years. Abduction and inducement refer to moving a person from a protected state or a free living relationship to the control of another person.

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