Laptop stolen from bag on shelf... caught red-handed on train

The Special Judicial Police for Railways recently announced that they apprehended a suspect on the 20th who secretly stole passengers' laptops and other items on trains.

The suspect is a man in his 20s of Vietnamese nationality, accused of stealing goods worth 10.6 million KRW, including laptops and iPads, on a total of seven occasions from KTX, ITX-Saemaeul, and other trains between the 12th and the 20th. The method involved passengers placing their suitcases or bags in luggage racks, aisle storage, shelves, or the space behind the cabin while seated, and the suspect would take items out of the bags and get off at the next station.

As theft incidents on trains occurred repeatedly recently, the Special Judicial Police for Railways formed a special investigation team to identify and track the suspect. On this day, the suspect was caught in the act by a special judicial police officer while secretly stealing a bag containing a tablet PC on the Seoul-bound Busan Mugunghwa-ho train number 1307 and searching inside the train restroom.

According to the Special Judicial Police, thefts on trains have steadily occurred with 130 cases in 2022, 163 cases the following year, and 148 cases last year. Passengers mostly lose items such as suitcases or mobile phones.