▲ This CCTV footage shows the Vietnamese nationals who escaped the Wolgok police patrol unit station in the southwestern city of Gwangju on June 11, 2023. (Yonhap)
▲ A group of Vietnamese suspected of gambling violations is taken to a police car in the southern city of Gwangju on June 11, 2023. Among the 23 arrested, 10 of them fled from a police patrol unit station through a window. (Yonhap)

(3rd LD) foreign suspects-escape

(3rd LD) Police locate 6 out of 10 Vietnamese who fled during questioning

(ATTN: CHANGES headline; UPDATES with latest details in lead, para 4)

GWANGJU, June 11 (Yonhap) -- Ten Vietnamese nationals fled a police station in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Sunday during questioning over gambling charges but six of them have been located, officials said.

The Gwangju Police Station said officials nabbed one Vietnamese hiding in an undisclosed location in Gwangju, about 270 kilometers south of Seoul, by analyzing CCTV footage and witness testimonies.

Two suspects who fled to nearby cities have informed police officials of their plan to surrender, while two others showed up at Gwangju Immigration Office later in the day, authorities said.

Later, police got hold of another Vietnamese who was hiding in a factory in an industrial complex in the city.

A total of 23 Vietnamese nationals were taken into custody around 3 a.m. while gambling in a house in Gwangju, but 10 of them escaped the Wolgok police patrol unit station while awaiting interrogation. Police discovered the mass escape around 6:40 a.m.

They escaped through a tilt window in the station's meeting room, which opens about 20 centimeters for air circulation, according to officials.

Police said they are tracking down the whereabouts of the other four escapees. They are believed to have fled out of fear of deportation.

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