Rental Car Employee Who Denied Allegations Caught by Distinctive 'Money Counting Sound'

An employee of a rental car company who secretly took a bundle of cash left behind in a rental car by a customer has been brought to trial following a detailed forensic investigation by prosecutors.

The Criminal Division 1 of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office (led by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Bongjin) announced on the 15th that it has indicted, without detention, a 41-year-old employee of the rental car company, referred to as Mr. A, on charges of occupational embezzlement for taking a large sum of cash from a vehicle returned by a customer.

Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office exterior.

원본보기 아이콘

Mr. A is accused of discovering a bag containing 8 million won in cash left inside a vehicle returned by customer Mr. B on November 8 last year, but failing to return it and instead taking it for himself.

During the initial police investigation, Mr. A adamantly denied the allegations, stating, "I have never seen a bundle of cash." At the time, the police had secured CCTV footage showing Mr. A approaching the vehicle, but were unable to find definitive evidence that he had taken the cash, and subsequently referred the case to the prosecutors.

Upon receiving the case, the prosecutors launched a supplementary investigation, requesting forensic analysis of the vehicle's black box footage from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Forensic Center. By analyzing the black box's audio signals, prosecutors were able to identify a distinctive friction sound-specifically, the sound of Mr. A sweeping up the bundle of cash with his fingers-amid background noises such as the heater operating, thereby substantiating the charges.

A representative of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office stated, "Through active supplementary investigation and scientific forensic techniques, we uncovered the substantive truth of the crime," adding, "We will continue to do our utmost to protect the rights of victims in the future."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.