Fled to Kuwait after committing a 3 billion won fraud... Forced repatriation via Thailand

Repatriation Achieved After 12 Years Through Korea-Kuwait-Thailand Cooperation

A man in his 50s who committed a fraud crime worth approximately 3 billion KRW 12 years ago and fled to Kuwait has been forcibly repatriated.

The National Police Agency announced that Mr. A (58), who was on the run abroad on charges of fraud, was forcibly repatriated through Incheon International Airport at around 5:30 PM on the 17th.

According to the police, Mr. A is accused of deceiving victims by pretending to have conducted transactions with the Kuwait branch of a domestic construction company in May 2011, thereby embezzling 2.77 million USD (approximately 3 billion KRW).

A man in his 50s who committed a fraud crime worth 3 billion won 12 years ago and fled to Kuwait has been forcibly repatriated.
[Photo by National Police Agency]

At the time, Mr. A was investigated for creating a false purchase order to make it appear as if a reorder was possible, even though there was no request for the delivery of construction materials.

After the crime, when Mr. A fled to Kuwait in September 2012, the local police issued a warrant for him on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (fraud), and the National Police Agency obtained an Interpol Red Notice and began tracking him together with Kuwaiti police.

After 12 years, on the 29th of last month, Kuwaiti police informed the Korean National Police Agency via an Interpol message that Mr. A had been apprehended.

On the 27th of last month, Kuwaiti police discovered the suspect’s hideout in Mubarak Al-Kabeer Governorate, Kuwait, and after a stakeout, arrested Mr. A as he was leaving to go out.

However, the repatriation process after the arrest was not smooth. Considering the severity of Mr. A’s crimes and the possibility of escape, forced repatriation with escort officers was inevitable, but the lack of direct flights between Korea and Kuwait posed a problem.

The police of both countries agreed on a “transit escort” method via a third country, and considering flight schedules, it was decided that Korean escort officers would take custody of Mr. A from Kuwaiti police at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand.

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kuwait communicated with Kuwaiti police on behalf of the National Police Agency and secured cooperative goodwill from the Kuwaiti side during the decision process to escort the suspect.

The National Police Agency requested cooperation from the Thai Immigration Bureau to establish safety management measures while the suspect transited through Thailand, and the Thai Immigration Bureau agreed to cooperate in managing Mr. A’s custody during the 7 hours he stayed at the airport.

The efforts of the police attach? dispatched to the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Thailand and the Thai police liaison officer assigned to the Korean National Police Agency were instrumental during the consultation and persuasion process with the Thai Immigration Bureau.

Meanwhile, since February 20, the National Police Agency has designated a total of three management levels (core, focused, general) for major fugitives who committed crimes such as fraud and drugs and fled overseas, and is working closely with domestic and international related agencies to intensively arrest and repatriate fugitives.