An executive of a fraud organization who deceived about 1,000 people by encouraging investment in a real estate development project near Phnom Penh, Cambodia, has been forcibly repatriated to South Korea.
On the 2nd, the National Police Agency announced that A (46), the deputy head of a fraud organization, was forcibly repatriated from Cambodia to South Korea through Incheon International Airport on charges of fraud and violation of the Act on the Regulation of Conducting Fund-Raising Business without Permission. Real estate fraud organization's domestic sales office / Photo by National Police Agency
On the 2nd, the National Police Agency announced that they forcibly repatriated Mr. A (46), the deputy leader of the fraud organization suspected of violating the Act on the Regulation of Conducting Fund-Raising Business without Permission and Fraud, from Cambodia to South Korea through Incheon International Airport.
Mr. A is accused of embezzling approximately 92.3 billion KRW in investment funds from 1,230 victims by promoting the sale of 2,700 large-scale luxury housing units near Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which are exempt from transfer and inheritance taxes, together with 34 accomplices including his older brother, in Seoul, Incheon, Busan, and other locations from June 2019 to January last year. The site in question was a false real estate property where construction was impossible due to lack of building permits and was a wetland area prone to flooding whenever it rained.
Mr. A and his group, based on their past experience in multi-level marketing door-to-door sales, scouted locations where many women aged 60 and above gathered, such as local beauty salons, and approached them as customers. They then induced victims to visit an office where a large sales map was installed on the wall, deceiving them into believing that the housing sales were imminent. Mr. A established a local office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, filmed photos and videos of completely different construction sites, and produced promotional videos pretending that housing construction was underway. The videos included phrases such as "The Miracle of the Han River becomes the Miracle of the Mekong River" and "The real estate Gangnam myth unfolds in Cambodia." Additionally, Mr. A played a key role in reassuring victims who came for site visits.
Mr. A was apprehended the day before after a five-month pursuit by the National Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit, the Korean Embassy in Cambodia, and local police. In June, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit arrested 28 people including the ringleader, but Mr. A, who led the crime in Cambodia, was not captured, prompting the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice and the start of a manhunt. The National Police Agency prioritized Mr. A as a target for arrest and confirmed the hospital where he was receiving outpatient treatment for kidney dialysis.
Subsequently, the police held several meetings with local police to coordinate the arrest operation and repatriation. Through the Cambodian National Police Intelligence Bureau, they identified three hideouts, conducted close surveillance, and secretly recruited Mr. A’s attending physician to determine his hospital visit schedule. Considering Mr. A’s health condition, the escort team included a kidney dialysis specialist from the Police Hospital.
A police official stated, "This is a model case where the police, together with the embassy and local police, formed a team to arrest and repatriate a major criminal who fled overseas," and added, "We will further strengthen cooperation with Interpol, major countries’ judicial authorities, and domestic investigative agencies to ensure swift arrest and repatriation."
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