A Man in His 50s Stuck Gum on a Clothes Hanger to Line Up Bills in a Donation Box... Stole 5 Million Won

Gyeonggi Uijeongbu Police Station Arrests Suspect on Theft Charges

A man in his 50s who stole millions of won from a church donation box by sticking chewed gum onto a clothes hanger has been arrested.

On the 10th, the Uijeongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced that they had arrested a man in his 50s, identified as Mr. A, on charges of theft and other offenses. Mr. A is accused of breaking into a church sanctuary in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, on the 3rd and 8th of last month and stealing 5 million won from the donation box. He committed the crime by straightening a metal clothes hanger and attaching a large amount of chewed gum to it, then inserting it into the donation box to make the bills stick and pulling them up. The donation box had a narrow and slim opening that did not allow a hand to be inserted, and it was revealed that Mr. A used a clothes hanger he found on the street to carry out the crime.

After successfully stealing 4 million won in cash during the first crime, Mr. A returned to the same church five days later and committed the second theft. His crime was uncovered through closed-circuit television (CCTV). Based on this, the police tracked Mr. A and made an emergency arrest at a lodging facility in Uijeongbu. During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated that he committed the crime to cover living expenses. The police are currently investigating whether Mr. A has committed other offenses.

Similar Methods Used in Past Crimes

Meanwhile, similar cases of stealing donations like Mr. A’s have occurred in the past. In September 2022, the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 18 (Judge Kim Dong-hee) sentenced Mr. B (58), who was charged with theft under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and trespassing, to 1 year and 6 months in prison. Mr. B was accused of secretly entering a church in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, five times between June and July of that year and stealing about 800,000 won from the donation box. At that time, he attached gum to the end of a clothes hanger he had prepared in advance and inserted it into the donation box slot to extract money. It was reported that Mr. B had a criminal record with five prison sentences since 2012 for theft and attempted theft.

Additionally, last year, a man in his 40s who targeted only churches with open doors and committed donation theft was also arrested. This man is accused of stealing goods worth about 1 million won, including donations, from seven churches in the Jeonju area from April 2022 to April last year. It was revealed that he exploited the fact that churches were open to anyone and that there were few people around except during worship times to commit these crimes.