Two women in their 20s targeted at private villa in Seogwipo

The Seogwipo Police Station. [Yonhap]
The Seogwipo Police Station. [Yonhap]

Police have arrested a group of Chinese nationals suspected of confining two Chinese women and robbing them at a resort on Jeju Island.

The Seogwipo Police Station said Monday it had detained three Chinese men — two in their 20s and one in his 30s — on charges of aggravated robbery and joint confinement, and was tracking two other Chinese suspects, one in their 20s and one in their 30s, who had fled abroad.

The group is accused of confining two Chinese tourists in their 20s at a private villa-style resort in Saekdal-dong, Seogwipo, on Sept. 21 at around 2:30 p.m., seizing their mobile phones and tablet computers, and forcing them to transfer 100,000 yuan ($14,900) to a bank account.

The following day, Tuesday, one of the victims managed to escape and sought help from people nearby, prompting a police report around 3 p.m.

Officers who responded to the scene that day apprehended two of the five suspects at the accommodation and arrested a third at the international departure terminal of Jeju International Airport around 7 p.m. as he was about to board a flight to China. The remaining two had already left for China on Tuesday morning, before the police report was filed.

The detained suspects have denied the charges, police said.

Police are pursuing the two suspects who fled to China through Interpol and other international judicial cooperation channels, while also investigating the full circumstances of the crime, including how the suspects came into contact with the victims.


jshan@heraldcorp.com