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At-large fraudster nabbed during routine Halloween police patrol

Published: 06 Nov. 2025, 15:07

Mobile patrol officers chase a suspect. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY]

Gangnam police were on a routine patrol ahead of Halloween when they found a suspicious Mercedes-Benz car near the subway station. The driver turned out to be the subject of a fraud investigation for taking 4.1 billion won ($2.83 million) from 24 victims, and had been wanted for more than two years.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s mobile patrol unit apprehended the suspect around 1 p.m. on Oct. 21 after spotting the vehicle near Gangnam Station, the agency said Thursday.

The suspect attempted to flee when ordered to stop, heading toward Seoul National University of Education Station, according to police. During the chase, the suspect made an illegal U-turn and drove against traffic along Gangnam-daero. Officers pursued him for approximately 3-kilometers (1.86-miles) before intercepting the vehicle in a residential alley in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, and arresting him.

The vehicle was stopped for operating without the mandatory insurance required under the Compulsory Motor Vehicle Liability Security Act. The driver was coincidentally identified as a wanted fraud suspect.

Investigators found that the suspect had carried out 20 separate fraud schemes between December 2013 and November 2023, and then had spent the past two years on the run. They allegedly swindled a total of 4.1 billion won, including around 2 billion won worth of stocks they obtained under the pretense of investment collateral.

The suspect was taken into custody and transferred to the Gangnam Police Precinct. They were also booked for violating the Compulsory Motor Vehicle Liability Security Act.

Beginning on Oct. 20, the police deployed 457 officers from mobile patrol units and crime prevention teams from 12 different precincts to 14 designated high-traffic areas across Seoul, including Gangnam Station and the Itaewon Special Tourist Zone, as part of efforts to prevent crime ahead of Halloween.

“We will continue to strengthen preventive patrols in high-risk areas and do our utmost to improve public safety,” a police official said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM CHANG-YONG [[email protected]]