Police Arrest Thief and Fence for Stealing Cell Phones from Sleeping Passengers on Late-Night Subway

A thief who habitually stole mobile phones from intoxicated passengers on the subway and a fence who bought the stolen phones at low prices have been arrested.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Subway Police Unit announced on the 5th that they have arrested thief A (64), B (49), and Vietnamese national fence C (49) on charges including theft under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

The crime scene of a subway passenger's mobile phone theft. [Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

According to the police, A and others are accused of stealing 7 and 9 mobile phones respectively from passengers who were drunk and dozing or sleeping on the train cars from October last year to January this year, and selling them to C. It was investigated that they approached passengers sitting alone late at night who were dozing off and took mobile phones either held in their hands or kept in the outer pockets of their coats.

Additionally, fence C is an illegal immigrant who was arrested in March last year on charges of receiving stolen goods and released in September of the same year after the detention period expired. Wearing an electronic ankle bracelet, C is understood to have purchased stolen phones from A and B between December last year and January this year.

The police received a report of a stolen phone in November last year and, after analyzing CCTV footage, identified A’s identity and tracked him. In January this year, they witnessed A handing over three mobile phones to C on the street in Hwanghak-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, and arrested them on the spot. B, who was being pursued by the police, surrendered after hearing that C had been caught.

A police official said, "Since most subway thieves target mobile phones, people should keep their phones in places that thieves cannot easily access. Especially during late night and early morning hours, when sitting on a seat, you must keep your phone in your inner pocket or bag to prevent theft."

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