{"id":90591,"date":"2024-04-18T00:21:40","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T04:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=90591"},"modified":"2024-04-18T00:21:41","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T04:21:41","slug":"escaped-south-korean-criminal-suspect-robs-otc-crypto-buyer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=90591","title":{"rendered":"Escaped South Korean Criminal Suspect \u2018Robs OTC Crypto Buyer\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An escaped South Korean criminal suspect reportedly stole almost $362,000 worth of cash in an armed robbery on an OTC crypto buyer.<\/p>\n

Per Law TV News, police say the suspect \u2013 aged in his 40s \u2013 \u201clured\u201d a victim to Seoul\u2019s affluent Gangnam District before stealing the money.<\/p>\n

Escaped South Korean Criminal \u2018Had Help from Others\u2019<\/h2>\n

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The Ministry of Justice said on April 17 that the suspect was being held at the Seoul Detention Center on fraud charges.<\/p>\n

The center allowed the suspect to leave in November 2023 to attend his father\u2019s funeral. But the suspect used the opportunity to escape, and did not return as agreed. Police had been searching for the man ever since.<\/p>\n

Seoul Detention Center. (Source: KBS News\/YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Officers said the suspect \u201clured the victim to Gangnam,\u201d saying that he \u201cwould sell\u201d an unnamed cryptoasset for \u201ccheaper than the market price.\u201d<\/p>\n

The alleged victim came to the district \u201con the morning of April 11\u201d hoping to complete the OTC deal, police said.<\/p>\n

But instead of transferring any crypto, the suspect allegedly \u201cbrandished a blunt weapon\u201d before taking the cash and \u201crunning away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police managed to identify the suspect using evidence they gathered from the scene, and \u201ca background check helped hasten the arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n

A police spokesperson confirmed they had also arrested \u201ca man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s\u201d who they think helped the suspect escape.<\/p>\n

The spokesperson confirmed that officers had \u201crecovered most of the stolen cash.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police added that investigators were \u201cstill investigating the details of the incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The South Korean won is now the most traded currency against cryptoassets globally with speculative demand for risky tokens in the country surging https:\/\/t.co\/YStgPhTCUP<\/p>\n

\u2014 Bloomberg (@business) April 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

OTC Crypto Crime on the Rise in South Korea<\/h2>\n

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The number of OTC crypto-related crimes has ballooned in South Korea this year. In February, six people were arrested in a suspected OTC theft in Incheon.<\/p>\n

In January, officers arrested a man in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, on similar charges.<\/p>\n

And officers said they arrested a gang of \u201cOTC thieves\u201d who also allegedly preyed on a victim in the Gangnam District earlier this month.<\/p>\n

Police reported that another OTC crypto theft incident took place in Geumcheon in late February this year.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n