Unknown Substance Injected into Female Employee's Drink
Employee "Spat Out Drink Immediately Due to Foul Fishy Smell"
A male customer who secretly injected an unidentified foreign substance into a drink that a female cafe employee was drinking was caught on the store's closed-circuit television (CCTV), prompting the police to launch a manhunt.
On the 5th, JTBC's 'Case Judge' released CCTV footage taken on the afternoon of the 2nd at a cafe in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The informant, cafe employee Ms. A, said that while working alone that day, she had put down the coffee she was drinking and took a sip again shortly after, but she immediately spat out the entire drink after sensing a foul fishy smell.
Ms. A said, "I always drink iced Americano, but the moment I sucked it through the straw, it was really disgusting and smelled fishy, so I spat it out as soon as I swallowed it." She added, "When I put my nose to the coffee, I smelled something I had never smelled before. It was a smell that had never occurred in the store's coffee before." At that moment, Ms. A recalled a suspicious male customer’s behavior in the store. A man had come alone to the store, ordered bread and a drink, and stayed for about an hour while exhibiting noticeable behavior. He kept glancing at Ms. A while either taking notes or handling his phone.
A male customer suspected of putting a foreign substance into a female cafe employee's drink [Image source=JTBC 'Sageonbanjang' capture]
Because of this, Ms. A suspected that the man might have tampered with her drink. When she immediately checked the CCTV, as expected, the man was the one who put a foreign substance into the coffee. In the CCTV footage, the man took something out of his bag and put it into his pocket before heading to the counter. While Ms. A was taking an order and entering the kitchen, he put the object from his pocket into her coffee. Afterwards, the man returned to his seat and blatantly watched Ms. A drink the beverage.
A male customer at a cafe in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, is removing a foreign object. [Image source=JTBC 'Sageonbanjang' capture]
While Ms. A was reviewing the CCTV, the man suddenly disappeared without a trace. Ms. A immediately reported to the police, and soon a forensic team arrived to collect the leftover drink, straw, cup, and other items. The man had purchased bread and a drink using a mobile coupon instead of a credit card at this cafe, which may have been a deliberate plan to prevent his identity from being revealed. Ms. A said, "Since this is in front of a women's university, I don’t know where this person might repeat the same behavior, so I reported the video hoping no more victims will appear." She added, "I hope the man's actions become known and he is caught as soon as possible."
Suspect Identified via CCTV... Police Investigation Underway
The police are tracking the man's movements through CCTV and have applied for a search warrant to check the information on the mobile coupon used by the man.
Meanwhile, if the substance the man put into the drink is harmful, he could face a heavy sentence for attempted special injury. In February last year, the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 5 (Judge Yoon Ji-sook) sentenced a kindergarten teacher, Ms. Park (50, female), who worked at a national public kindergarten and put foreign substances into group meal containers for children and coffee cups of fellow teachers, to four years in prison and ordered her immediate detention.
According to the forensic results, the substance Ms. Park put in was found to be surfactants used in shampoo or detergent or mosquito repellent ingredients. Throughout the trial, Ms. Park consistently denied the charges and claimed innocence, and appealed the verdict the day after sentencing. The prosecution, which had previously requested a 10-year sentence, also appealed, arguing that the sentence was too light. Subsequently, in the second trial held in October last year, Ms. Park was sentenced to five years in prison, an increased sentence.
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