One Watches, Two Open Calculators
Forced Opening with Scissors and Tweezers... Cash Swept Away
Police Tracking Based on CCTV
Three female students, presumed to be students, entered an unmanned store in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, and stole cash. [Source=YouTube channel 'JTBC News' captured]
As unmanned stores increase, theft crimes are also rapidly rising, and an incident occurred where individuals presumed to be students forcibly opened a cash register and stole cash.
On the 25th, JTBC's 'Case Manager' reported that young women, believed to be students, stole money from an unmanned store and fled. According to the report, in the early morning of the 24th, three young women wearing masks visited an unmanned ice cream store in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. They arrived on electric kickboards, went outside to smoke, and then re-entered the store. One of them began to keep watch while the other two covered the camera installed on the kiosk with their hands.
They attempted to forcibly open the cash register for over five minutes using scissors and tweezers, and finally, when the door opened, they stole about 300,000 won in cash inside and fled. The store owner noticed the missing cash when visiting the store during the day, checked the closed-circuit television (CCTV) inside and outside the store, and reported it to the police. He also reported the incident to 'Case Manager' along with the footage, stating, "The perpetrators' faces were clearly captured on CCTV." Currently, the police are tracking the suspects based on fingerprints found on the kiosk and CCTV footage.
Netizens who heard the story responded with comments such as, "In a world full of CCTV like today, this is a very bold act," "Because they are young, they need to be punished more severely," "They should be caught quickly, shamed, and the store owner should receive compensation," and "It doesn't seem like this was their first time doing this."
Meanwhile, theft crimes targeting unmanned stores have occurred several times in the past. On the early morning of the 5th, a man wearing a black mask and hat entered an unmanned store in Yuseong District, Daejeon, and stole about 500,000 won. He tore open the cash register with scissors and took all the cash bundles and coins inside before fleeing. Around the same time, four men and women in their 20s stole 1.9 million won in cash while visiting a total of 11 unmanned stores located in Cheongju, Chungbuk, and Sejong City. They tried to forcibly open the cash registers but, when unsuccessful, used screwdrivers and hammers to break them. According to police statistics, as unmanned stores increase, the number of theft cases has also continued to rise, with 3,514 cases in 2021, 6,018 in 2022, and 10,847 in 2023.
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