Teenager Who Fled with Rolex... Police Hesitated but Caught Him by Tracking Nickname

Victim Catches Perpetrator and Recovers Item Directly
Frustration Over Inability to Retrieve Watch Under Current Law

A victim who was robbed of an item during a secondhand transaction personally tracked down the culprit, reported to the police, and even recovered the item. However, the victim was unable to get the item back. The victim expressed frustration at the flawed legal system.

On the 22nd, Yonhap News reported an incident where a Rolex watch worth approximately 15 million won was stolen while trying to sell it on the secondhand trading site Danggeun Market. A (28) agreed to sell the Rolex watch to B (18) on February 27 through Danggeun Market and met near his home. B received the watch to inspect it briefly and immediately ran away.

The victim, A, immediately reported to the police but was told that it was difficult to catch the culprit due to lack of clues. However, A did not give up and personally pursued the arrest through internet searches.

All A knew about B was a nickname. Using that nickname, A thoroughly searched Danggeun Market and found a post where B had disclosed a phone number to sell luxury shoes. A then contacted victims with similar experiences through The Cheat, a website where internet scam victims share phone numbers and bank account details of criminals, gathering photos and residence information about B. Using this information, A found B on social media.

Chat conversation between the victim and the perpetrator.
The victim is pretending to engage in a secondhand transaction while chatting with the perpetrator, whom they found by searching the internet using the nickname as a clue.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

It took only a day for A to accomplish all this. The police had said it was “difficult to catch” the culprit, but an ordinary person managed it in a day. A handed over all this information to the police on February 28, the day after the incident. B eventually turned himself in.

Despite the victim’s efforts, the culprit is a minor, so the punishment is expected to be light. Moreover, since B surrendered, he will be investigated without detention. B only said, “I already sold the watch at a low price and spent all the money,” without revealing to whom he sold it.

Starting March 2, A resumed the search for his watch. Focusing on places that trade and appraise watches and secondhand trading sites, he found out that his product was listed for sale in Busan. He immediately went down to Busan and met the current seller with the police.

The watch stolen by B was first sold for 5 million won, then reached the current seller for 8 million won. The seller had listed it for 10 million won. Under current law, A, who was robbed, must pay the current owner’s purchase price of 8 million won to get the watch back.

Although A caught the thief in one day and found the watch in three days, he cannot recover the item and is furious at the weak legal system. He told the media, “The culprit won’t even get a prison sentence, and I’m the only one suffering losses. This is the reality for victims in South Korea. Being stolen from is the crime.” He added, “If it’s a first offense and the culprit is a minor, it encourages committing crimes. Because the law is weak, juvenile crimes are becoming common. Victims receive no protection at all.”