A gold bracelet. The image is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
A gold bracelet. The image is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

A man in his 20s hired as a house cleaner through a secondhand trading platform has been arrested after stealing valuables from his client's home and selling them.

Seoul's Nowon Police Station said Wednesday it had booked the man, identified only as A, on theft charges and is investigating the case.

A is suspected of stealing a pearl necklace, gold ring, gold bracelet and other jewelry — heirlooms belonging to the late mother of his client, identified as B — along with 60,000 won ($42) in cash from a wardrobe at B's home in Nowon-gu, Seoul, on Sunday and Monday.

A approached B on Saturday after B posted on Karrot, the secondhand trading platform, looking for a one-day house cleaner. He was hired and spent about three hours cleaning B's home the following day, receiving his day's pay afterward.

B was not satisfied with the cleaning, however, and complained. A returned to B's home on Monday and cleaned for about an hour.

The next day, B noticed that a jewelry case stored in the wardrobe had gone missing. B had initially said she would not report the theft to police if the heirlooms could be returned. She filed a report after learning that A had already sold the jewelry to a pawnshop and melted down some of the pieces, making recovery impossible.

During police questioning, A reportedly said he had been under financial pressure, including being hounded by an unlicensed lender over personal debts.

Police plan to investigate the exact value of the stolen items and A's motive before referring the case to prosecutors.


jshan@heraldcorp.com