"Car with Side Mirrors Extended, Thought No One Was There" The Last Moments of a Car Thief

'Cars with Side Mirrors Not Folded' Targeted in Crimes
"Please Check Door Lock Status to Prevent Crime"

A habitual car thief who targeted only vehicles with unlocked doors was caught on the spot while attempting a crime against an undercover detective’s vehicle.

The Chuncheon Police Station in Gangwon announced on the 11th that they had arrested A (28) on charges of habitual theft and handed him over to the prosecution. A is accused of stealing approximately 3 million won in cash from unlocked parked cars 15 times between November and December of last year. After receiving reports of the thefts, the police identified the suspect’s description and apprehended A during an undercover operation at an apartment in Chuncheon City in the early morning of December 25 last year.

The police discovered that A mainly targeted cars whose side mirrors were not folded in, so they waited inside a car with the side mirrors unfolded for A to appear. While scouting for targets, A was unaware that detectives were undercover inside the vehicle and attempted to commit a crime against the detectives’ car, leading to his immediate arrest.

Through analysis of closed-circuit television (CCTV), the police uncovered a total of 15 theft incidents and recently sent A to the prosecution under arrest. A police official urged, "To prevent crimes, please make sure to lock your car doors when parking."