“Crypto Murder” — Three Arrested After Korean Woman Assaulted And Kidnapped On Camera Is Found Dead
Three people have been arrested in connection to a kidnapping and murder at the end of March.
On March 29, around 11:48 pm, CCTV captured the kidnapping of a woman in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam, Seoul. Video footage shows the woman being dragged into the sidewalk near the street by an assailant as she attempts to fight back.
She is then bodily dragged into the car while a second person runs to the driver’s seat and quickly enters before driving away.
The following day, the woman’s family reported her missing, launching an investigation that led to the discovery of the vehicle’s model and license plate number. Police tracked the car’s movements, finding the abandoned car near Daejeon. Inside the vehicle were traces of blood along with a pickaxe, shove, cable tie, and tape.
Police arrested Mr. A (30) near Moran Station in Seongnam City on March 31. Accomplice Mr. B (36) was arrested in Sujeong-gu in the same city, while Mr. C (35) was arrested by the police in Nonhyun-dong of Seoul. The three admitted having murdered the woman and disposed of her body near Daecheong Dam in Daejeon.
Following these tips, police found the victim’s body the day the arrests were made. In a press conference on April 1, Seoul Suseo Police announced that there was a financial motivation behind the murder.
One of the arrested perpetrators has admitted that the murder was planned around financial gain, so we’re looking into the details.
— Seoul Suseo Police
According to police, two of the accused perpetrators identified the victim as a target, while the third party secured tools for the crime.
We believe that two of the three perpetrators took part in identifying the victim as a target and planning the murder. The other perpetrator played the role of supplying the tools for the crime. Again, we’re working on verifying the exact details.
— Seoul Suseo Police
The three allegedly stalked the woman for two to three months in preparation for the crime. The murder victim was the owner of over ₩5.00 billion KRW (about $3.83 million USD) in cryptocurrency, which is likely why she was targeted.
