Three hours ago, a woman was kidnapped and murdered in a residential area in Gangnam, Seoul, which shocked the local community. The police, who received reports from eyewitnesses, identified the suspects through CCTV analysis nearby and arrested three suspects one following another on the 31st, but the victim was found dead. The Seoul Suseo Police Station, in charge of the case, said at a press briefing on the 1st, “One of the arrested suspects made a statement to the effect that he committed the crime for financial purposes and is confirming the truth.” The police also said, “After naming the victim as the target of the crime, the two suspects conspired to commit the crime, and the other seems to have played a role in providing the crime tool.” According to media reports citing police officials, both the suspects and the victim were reportedly involved in a case involving virtual assets (cryptocurrency) and were being investigated by the police.
The police previously identified 30-year-old A and 36-year-old B as suspects following receiving a report from an eyewitness who said, “It seems that a woman is forcibly taken into a car and kidnapped” in front of an apartment in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu at 11:48 pm on the 29th. Closed-circuit TV showed the two men dragging the resisting woman away and leaving the scene in a vehicle parked in advance on the side of the road. It was investigated that they moved with the woman, abandoned the car in Daejeon the next morning, and moved to Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province by rental car. Bloodstains and a weapon presumed to be the instrument of the crime were found in the abandoned vehicle.
Afterwards, they abandoned the rental car in Cheongju and took a taxi to Seongnam City at 9:30 am the same day. The police caught Mr. A at Moran Station in Seongnam at 10:45 am on the 31st, the next day, and Mr. B at a motel in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam at 1:15 pm. Subsequently, the police secured statements that they had more accomplices and arrested 35-year-old C in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul at 5:40 pm on the same day. Mr. C did not participate in the kidnapping, but was identified as a suspect through an accomplice statement.
During the police investigation, the suspects stated that they killed the victim in Daejeon and then abandoned it on a hill near Daecheong Dam. On the other hand, criticism was raised that the police should have responded faster as the victim eventually died despite a report from an eyewitness at the abduction site. At around 9 am on the 30th, regarding 9 hours following the police received the 112 report, they issued ‘code zero’, the highest level of police dispatch, but it is pointed out that it is already ‘too late’. Regarding this, the police explained in a press briefing on the 1st, “We arrived at the scene in regarding 3 minutes of dispatch,” and “We judge that the first action went well.”
The scene of the kidnapping that occurred in an apartment complex in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu at around 11:48 pm on the 29th of last month. The hijacker’s vehicle is stopped near the apartment (video capture)
On the night of the 29th of last month, a woman was kidnapped and murdered in a residential area in Gangnam, Seoul, which shocked the local community. The police, who received reports from eyewitnesses, identified the suspects through CCTV analysis nearby and arrested three suspects one following another on the 31st, but the victim was found dead. The Seoul Suseo Police Station, in charge of the case, said at a press briefing on the 1st, “One of the arrested suspects made a statement to the effect that he committed the crime for financial purposes and is confirming the truth.”
The police also said, “After naming the victim as the target of the crime, the two suspects conspired to commit the crime, and the other seems to have played a role in providing the crime tool.” The police believe that they followed the victim two to three months before the crime and prepared the tools for the crime.
According to media reports citing police officials, both the suspects and the victims were reportedly involved in a case involving virtual assets (cryptocurrency) and were being investigated by the police.
The police previously identified 30-year-old A and 36-year-old B as suspects following receiving a report from an eyewitness who said, “It seems that a woman is forcibly taken into a car and kidnapped” in front of an apartment in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu at 11:48 pm on the 29th. did.
Closed-circuit TV showed the two men dragging the resisting woman away and leaving the scene in a vehicle parked in advance on the side of the road.
It was investigated that they moved with the woman, abandoned the car in Daejeon the next morning, and moved to Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province by rental car. Bloodstains and a weapon presumed to be the instrument of the crime were found in the abandoned vehicle.
Afterwards, they abandoned the rental car in Cheongju and took a taxi to Seongnam City at 9:30 am the same day.
The police caught Mr. A at Moran Station in Seongnam at 10:45 am on the 31st, the next day, and Mr. B at a motel in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam at 1:15 pm.
Subsequently, the police secured statements that they had more accomplices and arrested 35-year-old C in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul at 5:40 pm on the same day. Mr. C did not participate in the kidnapping, but was identified as a suspect through an accomplice statement.
During the police investigation, the suspects stated that they killed the victim in Daejeon and then abandoned it on a hill near Daecheong Dam.
On the other hand, criticism was raised that the police should have responded faster as the victim eventually died despite a report from an eyewitness at the abduction site.
At around 9 am on the 30th, regarding 9 hours following the police received the 112 report, they issued ‘code zero’, the highest level of police dispatch, but it is pointed out that it is already ‘too late’.
Regarding this, the police explained in a press briefing on the 1st, “We arrived at the scene in regarding 3 minutes of dispatch,” and “We judge that the first action went well.”
The recent kidnapping and murder that occurred in Gangnam, Seoul has shaken the community and sparked criticism of the police response time. While the suspects were quickly identified and arrested, the victim was tragically found dead. The police have stated that the motive behind the crime was financial, but media reports suggest that virtual assets may have played a role. With ongoing investigations and details still emerging, this case serves as a reminder of the importance of swift and effective police action in preventing such tragedies. Our hearts go out to the victim and her loved ones during this difficult time.
