Police Request Arrest Warrants for All 73 Scam Ring Members Extradited from Cambodia

Arrest Warrants Sought for All Suspects Just One Day After Forced Repatriation
Accused of Defrauding 48.6 Billion Won from 869 Koreans

On January 24, police applied for arrest warrants for all 73 members of a Korean criminal organization who were forcibly extradited from Cambodia for their involvement in fraud and other crimes. This comes just one day after their repatriation to Korea via Incheon International Airport.

Yonhap News Agency

The National Office of Investigation of the Korean National Police Agency announced in a press release that day, "We are investigating the criminal charges against the 73 suspects with the Pan-Governmental Transnational Crime Special Response Task Force (TF) at the center," adding, "We have completed the application for arrest warrants for all of them."

The suspects were arrested onboard a chartered flight departing from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, immediately upon arrival in Korea. They were then transported to their respective local police stations and detained in holding cells after investigation.

The case has been distributed as follows: 49 suspects to the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit of the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency; 17 to the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency; 1 each to the Criminal Investigation Unit and the Financial Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency; 1 to the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency; 2 to the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit of the Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency; 1 to the Changwon Jungbu Police Station; and 1 to the Seocho Police Station.

The suspects are accused of defrauding approximately 48.6 billion won from 869 victims in Korea. Of these, 70 individuals face charges related to fraud crimes such as romance scams or operating investment guidance chat rooms, while the remaining 3 are charged with crimes including hostage robbery and gambling.

Notably, the so-called "romance scam couple fraud ring," which used deepfake technology to impersonate virtual characters and swindled about 12 billion won from 104 victims, is also among those extradited. These suspects went to great lengths to evade law enforcement, including altering their appearance through plastic surgery, and had been excluded from the extradition list in October last year.

Others among those extradited include suspects who impersonated investment experts to defraud about 19.4 billion won from young adults just starting their careers and retirees; fugitives who committed sex crimes against minors and then fled to Cambodia, where they joined fraud schemes; and organization members who held victims captive in scam compounds, using them as hostages to extort money from their families in Korea through threats.