North Chungcheong Province Police Agency's wide-area crime unit refers three suspects
Trio flashed tattoos, demanded cash for 'dental treatment,' netting 20 million won
Three people, including a man in his 30s, have been referred to prosecutors for extorting restaurant owners by falsely claiming they had broken their teeth on stones found in the food.
The North Chungcheong Province Police Agency's wide-area crime investigation unit said Tuesday it had arrested one suspect, identified only as A, a man in his 30s, and referred two accomplices without detention on extortion charges. The trio targeted 67 restaurant owners across the Chungcheong region and Gyeonggi Province between February and June, extorting a total of 20 million won ($14,900).
The suspects demanded money for dental treatment and settlement fees, claiming foreign objects in the food had chipped their teeth. They had prepared stones in advance and planted them to make it appear the objects had come from the meals. Amounts extorted ranged from 30,000 won to 1.7 million won per incident.
The scheme involved a division of roles: one member would pretend to bite down on a stone and act as though injured, while the others stoked the atmosphere by saying things like "It looks like your tooth is badly hurt." They also reportedly exposed their tattoos to intimidate restaurant owners. When an owner suggested going to a hospital or filing an insurance claim, the suspects pushed for a quick cash settlement, saying things such as "We're busy and need to sort this out fast" or "We work in car rentals and have to move on to another area."
The money was spent on alcohol and motel stays, police said.
Police launched the investigation in June after receiving a tip that restaurant owners had been extorted by unknown customers but were too afraid of retaliation to file reports. Officers secured victim statements and closed-circuit television footage, then confirmed additional cases through the Korea Food Service Industry Association and the North Chungcheong Province Restaurant Association. After more than four months of investigation, they identified the suspects.
"We will mobilize all our investigative resources with the resolve to root out crimes targeting small, independent business owners through extortion and fraud," a police official said.
jshan@heraldcorp.com
