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Police arrest 1 Russian accused of assault in 1 billion won crypto robbery

Published: 27 May. 2025, 21:17

Physical violence assault illustration [JOONGANG ILBO]

One of three Russian nationals accused of luring Korean men to a hotel under the pretense of a cryptocurrency deal and attempting to rob them of 1 billion won ($728,000) in cash has been arrested in Busan. The other two suspects are believed to have fled the country.

The Gangseo Police Precinct in Seoul said it apprehended a Russian man in his 20s at around 3:40 p.m. on Tuesday. He is accused of assault and attempted robbery.

According to police, on May 21, the suspect and two accomplices allegedly injured two Korean men with blunt objects inside a hotel room in western Seoul’s Gangseo District. The three suspects had arranged to meet the victims and other Koreans for what was supposed to be a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trade.

The suspects invited 10 Korean men to the hotel, asking eight to wait in the lobby and telling two to come up to the room. Wearing protective vests, the suspects hid in the bathroom and ambushed the two men as soon as they entered. The group threatened the victims with a replica handgun, tied their hands with cable ties and beat them using a telescopic baton and their fists.

One of the victims managed to break free and fled to the lobby, where they alerted the other would-be buyers. The suspects tried to steal a bag containing 1 billion won that had been prepared for the transaction but fled when the others intervened.

Police received a report at 8:30 p.m. the same day of a man bleeding in the hotel lobby and arrived on the scene. In the suspects’ hotel room, officers found a cash counter, protective vests, a replica gun and a telescopic baton.

The next morning, police requested an overseas travel ban on the three suspects under the name used to book the hotel room. However, they later confirmed that one of them had left the country immediately after the incident, and another fled soon afterward.

“We have requested assistance from Interpol to track down the suspects who fled overseas,” a police official said. “We are currently questioning the apprehended suspect on the motive and details of the crime and are considering filing for a pretrial detention warrant.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM SEONG-JIN, LEE CHAN-KYU [[email protected]]