"Arrested 3 Years Ago": Police Officer's Sharp Eye... Gold and Silver Shop Thief Caught Within 3 Hours

Quick Identification Thanks to Officer Recognizing Face
Suspect Caught Within 3 Hours of Crime... "Full Confession to Crime"

A thief who stole precious metals worth 28 million won from a jewelry store was caught again thanks to the keen eye of a police officer who had arrested him three years ago.

According to Pyeongtaek Police Station on the 21st, Sergeant Lee Hong-wook of Pyeongtaek Police Station, assigned to the investigation team for the theft case that occurred on the 16th at a jewelry store in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, immediately recognized the suspect’s face on the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage. While watching the CCTV, Sergeant Lee said, "Oh? This is the thief we caught three years ago." Thanks to Sergeant Lee’s sharp observation, the man in his 50s who stole precious metals worth 28 million won was caught in downtown Pyeongtaek around 11:40 p.m., just three hours after the crime.

At around 8:40 p.m. on the day of the crime, a man in his 50s, Mr. A, entered the jewelry store pretending to be a customer. Mr. A looked around inside the store and pointed to gold necklaces and bracelets in the display case, saying, "Please show me these." The store owner, Mr. B, took out the items from the display case as requested and explained the specifications and prices in detail. While Mr. B was explaining, Mr. A suddenly made a phone call. As the call dragged on and Mr. B momentarily looked away, Mr. A took advantage of the opportunity to grab six pieces of precious metals, including gold necklaces and bracelets placed on top of the display case, and ran away.

Mr. B immediately reported to 112, and considering the relatively large amount involved in the jewelry store theft, the police mobilized about ten officers from the criminal mobile team, the violent crimes team, and the missing persons team on duty for a swift response. Among them, Sergeant Lee from the missing persons team immediately recognized Mr. A’s face on the CCTV. Sergeant Lee had previously arrested Mr. A for a similar crime in the jurisdiction three years ago. Mr. A was sentenced to two years in prison in March 2021 and was confirmed to have been released last year.

Thanks to Sergeant Lee’s immediate recognition, the police were able to quickly identify Mr. A and accelerate the investigation. CCTV analysis revealed that after the crime, Mr. A changed clothes once each at a nearby motel and his one-room apartment while fleeing. It appeared to be an attempt to confuse the police, but the police had already tracked all his movements and confirmed his identity.

Ultimately, about three hours after the incident, at 11:40 p.m., the police arrested Mr. A in downtown Pyeongtaek. Mr. A confessed to the entire crime, and the police recovered the six pieces of precious metals hidden inside the socks he was wearing and returned them intact to Mr. B. Pyeongtaek Police Station arrested Mr. A on theft charges and sent him to the prosecution on the 19th.