Only Targeted Phones of Sleeping Subway Passengers... '22-Time Offender' Who Couldn't Break the Habit

Unattended Street Stall Targeted
Arrested Following CCTV Analysis

A man in his 50s who stole items worth about 3.8 million won, including goods displayed at unmanned subway kiosks and belongings of sleeping passengers, was caught by the police.

Around 5 a.m. this June, Mr. A was stealing items such as a bag at an unmanned kiosk near Bulgwang Station in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

On the 6th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's subway police unit announced that they had urgently arrested and detained a man in his 50s, Mr. A, who stole cash and bags at subway platforms and unmanned kiosks.

According to the police, Mr. A is suspected of stealing items worth 2,993,000 won, including bags displayed at unmanned kiosks and mobile phones of victims sleeping on platforms, as well as 282,000 won in cash, over 14 incidents from October last year to June this year. He also used stolen credit cards to spend 477,700 won at convenience stores and other places.

Mr. A mainly stole cash, bags, cosmetics, and other items from unmanned stores without owners inside subway stations or kiosks temporarily left unattended. He resold the stolen goods by street vending near subway entrances and other locations.

In June this year, after receiving a damage report stating "items from unmanned kiosks were continuously stolen," the police analyzed over 200 CCTV cameras and conducted inquiries about the suspect’s appearance and crime scenes. During this investigation, Mr. A was urgently arrested while leaving a sauna in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. At that time, 35 packs of cigarettes he was carrying were immediately confiscated.

Mr. A has a criminal record of 22 offenses including theft and fraud, and it was found that he committed these crimes during his recidivism period.

Meanwhile, on the 3rd of last month, Mr. B, a "professional pickpocket thief" with 17 previous convictions for similar crimes, was detained. Mr. B is suspected of habitually stealing mobile phones, wallets, and other items from sleeping passengers on Line 2 subway trains during late-night hours over seven incidents in 16 days starting from May 22 this year. He resold the stolen phones to fence dealers for profit.

The police are making an emergency arrest of Mr. A and conducting a search and seizure of the cigarettes he was carrying.
[Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

As the police have strengthened subway crime investigation and prevention activities, subway crimes in the first half of this year have significantly decreased compared to the same period last year. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the number of "pickpocketing" cases in the first half of this year was 79, down 70.5% from 268 cases in the same period last year. During the same period, the number of purse-snatching cases decreased by 14.8%, from 27 to 23.

A police official stated, "This is the result of visible preventive activities such as joint patrols with Seoul Metro security guards during rush hours and nighttime at stations with frequent crimes, and prompt arrests based on crime occurrence data involving repeated crimes using the same methods on specific subway lines." He added, "The police will continue to catch criminals through persistent investigative efforts."

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