"If I Can't Find It, I'll Refund You"... 'Gangaji Detective' Disappears After Taking 40 Million Won

"I will find your pet dog within two months," took the deposit and disappeared without contact

A man in his 20s, who was under police investigation for deceiving dog owners by claiming to find missing pets and embezzling tens of millions of won, has gone missing, prompting the police to launch a manhunt. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] A man in his 20s, who was under police investigation for defrauding dog owners of tens of millions of won by pretending to find missing pets, has gone missing, prompting the police to launch a manhunt.

Incheon Jungbu Police Station announced on the 10th that they are tracking Mr. A, who is under investigation for fraud.

Mr. A is suspected of receiving and embezzling 40 million won from about 30 victims between April and November of last year.

He approached victims through posts about missing dogs on the internet, introduced himself as a "dog detective," and promised to find their pets within two months.

He told the dog owners that if he failed to find the dogs, he would refund all the money, then received cash deposits as contract fees and cut off contact.

One victim told Yonhap News in a phone interview, "Last year, after posting about a missing dog online, Mr. A contacted me using the phone number in the post," adding, "He demanded a contract fee of 1 million won, promising a refund if the dog was not found within two months, but after the time passed and I requested a refund, he stopped responding."

After receiving complaints from victims at the end of last year, the police launched an investigation and applied for a pre-arrest warrant for Mr. A. However, Mr. A did not appear at the pretrial detention hearing held last month and disappeared.

During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly admitted all charges and stated that he had been engaged in work unrelated to detective services. The "dog finding" success stories he posted on his blog were also found to be false.

The police plan to secure Mr. A’s custody using a warrant issued by the court.