They Targeted Only Drunken Passengers Asleep Late at Night: Subway Phone-Theft Gang Arrested

The gang allegedly hunted only intoxicated passengers who had fallen asleep late at night, repeatedly stealing their phones on subways and at bus transfer centers.

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Subway Police Unit said on the 4th that it arrested three people, including the pickpocket and two dealers who bought stolen goods. Police referred two of them for detention.

After receiving intelligence in May that subway pickpockets were meeting dealers who bought stolen phones for overseas disposal, police spent about four months tracking CCTV footage and conducting undercover surveillance. They then raided a stolen-goods transaction and arrested the suspects at the scene.

Police seized all nine phones in the group’s possession. They returned four after confirming their owners. Investigators said the stolen phones reached dealers through stolen-goods brokers, and they are examining the suspects’ other alleged offenses. The pickpocket had previously committed theft.