Gang Arrested for Digging Tunnel in Downtown Cheonan to Steal Oil from Pipeline

Attempt to Steal Oil by Digging a 4m Underground Tunnel Thwarted by Police Crackdown

A group attempting to steal oil from a pipeline by digging a 4-meter-deep tunnel in the heart of Cheonan city was caught by the police. / Daejeon Police Agency

A group attempting to steal oil by digging a tunnel up to 4 meters underground in the heart of Cheonan, Chungnam, was caught by the police.

The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency's Criminal Investigation Unit announced that it had arrested all nine members of an oil theft ring, including the ringleader, after they rented a two-story warehouse building in Dujeong-dong, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, on February 8 and dug a tunnel from the first floor to the location of the oil pipeline until June 20 in an attempt to steal oil. Six of them have been taken into custody.

The ringleader, Mr. A, recruited a financier, a technician for installing oil theft equipment, a site manager, tunnel diggers, and transporters for the crime. Together, they meticulously prepared for the operation by scouting locations, detecting the oil pipeline site, creating blueprints for oil theft equipment, and even arranging to rent a gas station to sell the stolen oil.

They rented a warehouse adjacent to the oil pipeline, dug a tunnel 4 meters underground measuring approximately 75 cm wide, 90 cm high, and 16.8 meters long, and attempted to steal oil from the pipeline. However, their plan was foiled by a police crackdown.

To avoid suspicion from the surrounding area, they hung a fake logistics center sign on the rented warehouse and disguised the entrance to the tunnel inside as a cold storage room.

Police investigations revealed that the technician and site manager had previously worked together at Korea National Oil Corporation.

A police official stated, "The location where they dug the tunnel was in the middle of the city, directly beneath a four-lane road running through the city center. There was a risk of ground subsidence and collapse, which could have led to major casualties. Thanks to a swift crackdown and cooperation with related agencies, the area was restored to its original state."

The official added, "Last April, we also arrested an entire group that tried to steal oil by digging a tunnel from a rented motel basement, but such crimes continue to occur. We will conduct special inspections of oil pipeline facilities in cooperation with relevant agencies and will actively investigate and respond strictly to oil pipeline-related crimes that threaten public safety and could lead to major accidents."

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