"Can I Try It On?" Man in His 20s Arrested for Stealing 37.5g Gold Jewelry While Pretending to Be a Customer

The suspect is looking into a mirror wearing a gold necklace around his neck.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Police Agency, captured from CCTV footage]

A man in his 20s who pretended to shop for gold jewelry at a jewelry store and then ran away with the items when the staff was distracted has been caught by the police.

The Masan Eastern Police Station in South Gyeongsang Province announced on the 4th that they had arrested a man in his 20s, identified as A, on charges of theft for stealing gold jewelry worth about 9 million won.

According to the police, on August 12, A is accused of fleeing with a 10-don gold bracelet worth about 4.5 million won from a jewelry store in Changwon after trying it on.

Ten days later, on August 22, he stole a 10-don gold necklace worth about 4.5 million won from another jewelry store in Miryang and ran away.

A pretended to be a customer looking to buy gold jewelry and asked the store owner, "Can I try it on?" before receiving the jewelry.

After putting on the jewelry, he reassured the store owner by placing his phone and wallet on the display case, checking his appearance in the mirror, and even handing over a 200,000 won down payment in cash.

He then made excuses such as stepping out to smoke a cigarette and took advantage of the lack of attention to escape with the jewelry.

The suspect is smoking a cigarette outside the goldsmith shop while wearing gold jewelry.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Police Agency, CCTV footage provided]

Upon receiving the report, the police formed a dedicated investigation team, analyzed CCTV footage, and conducted field inquiries, eventually apprehending A at a PC cafe in downtown Tongyeong on August 24.

Police investigations revealed that A committed the crimes to pay off personal debts and cover living expenses.

He was found to have previous convictions for similar offenses and committed these crimes during a repeat offender probation period.

The police obtained an arrest warrant for A and referred him to the prosecution in custody on the 26th of last month.

A police official stated, "To eradicate major crimes affecting public livelihood such as robbery and theft, we will conduct an intensive crackdown for two months starting September 1 and respond actively. We will also actively promote prevention guidelines to local jewelry store owners and strengthen detective activities."