Three Main Suspects of 'Namyangju 7-Person Special Robbery' Arrested in Cebu, Philippines

Arrested After 6 Months on the Run... Deportation Procedures Underway

Three main suspects in the '7-member special robbery case' that occurred two years ago in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, were arrested six months after fleeing to the Philippines.

The National Police Agency announced on the 12th that three suspects, including Mr. A, who was wanted under a red notice for special robbery charges, were apprehended in Cebu, Philippines, on the 3rd.

These suspects, aged in their 20s to 30s, are accused of breaking into an apartment in Byeollae-dong, Namyangju City, in June 2022, along with four other accomplices, covering their faces with masks and hats, assaulting and threatening the victims, and escaping with cash and valuables worth approximately 130 million won.

Three suspects of the seven-member special robbery group from Namyangju apartment arrested in the Philippines. [Photo by National Police Agency]

After arresting four of the seven suspects last November, the police tracked the remaining three and received intelligence in early February this year that they had fled to Cebu, Philippines.

Having obtained a red notice from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), the National Police Agency formed a joint tracking team with the Seoul Gwangjin Police Station, the Korean Desk, and Philippine law enforcement agencies to intensively pursue the suspects.

The tracking team discovered their hideout in Cebu and launched an arrest operation on the 3rd of last month, following them as the suspects abandoned their vehicle and used rental cars and taxis to evade the team.

After the initial three-day arrest operation failed, the tracking team identified on the 26th of last month that the suspects were hiding in the Talisay area south of Cebu, and on the 3rd, they entered the suspects' residence and arrested all three. This was 1 year and 11 months after the crime and six months after fleeing to the Philippines.

The arrested suspects are currently detained at the Foreigners Detention Center of the Immigration Office in Manila, Philippines, and are undergoing deportation procedures under Philippine immigration law.

A National Police Agency official stated, "We have requested cooperation from the Philippine Immigration Office through the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines to securely hold the suspects until the deportation decision is made," adding, "To minimize any possible variables, we plan to immediately forcibly repatriate them as soon as the deportation process is completed."