Key Takeaways
- Interrogations are underway, and authorities say they plan to request a pretrial detention warrant.
- South Korean police have detained a man in his twenties believed to be part of a trio that set up a bogus crypto trade to lure in Korean investors.
A high-stakes crypto transaction in a Seoul hotel ended in a violent attempted robbery, leading to the arrest of one Russian national and an international manhunt for two others.
As per local media reports, South Korean police have detained a man in his twenties believed to be part of a trio that set up a bogus crypto trade to lure in Korean investors. The suspects allegedly planned to seize nearly 1 billion won in cash — the equivalent of $730,000 — during the staged meeting.
On May 21, ten Korean men arrived at a hotel in Gangseo District after being invited to complete a peer-to-peer crypto exchange. Two individuals were brought to a private room while the rest waited in the lobby. There, the encounter turned violent.
Wearing protective gear, the suspects restrained the victims using cable ties and brandished a fake firearm and a baton to threaten them. One victim managed to escape, triggering an emergency response from police. When officers arrived, they found a bloodied man in the lobby and secured the crime scene.
A search of the suspects’ hotel room uncovered a stash of gear, including a money-counting machine, fake weapons, and body armour, emblematic of the robbery being carefully orchestrated.
The following morning, authorities moved to ban the suspects from leaving the country. But it was already too late: one had exited South Korea shortly after the failed robbery, and another left soon afterwards.
Law enforcement officers located and arrested the third suspect in Busan on May 27. Interrogations are underway, and authorities say they plan to request a pretrial detention warrant.
Interpol assistance has been requested to track down the two fugitives now believed to be overseas. “The investigation is ongoing to determine the full extent of the plot and the motivations behind it,” a police official stated.
