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| ▲ A vehicle arrives at the Suseo Police Station in Seoul on April 5, 2023, carrying a man held on suspicion of orchestrating last week's kidnapping and murder of a woman. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This combination of photos shows three suspects involved in the abduction and murder of a woman being taken to the Seoul Central District Court on April 3, 2023, for a hearing to review the police's request for their arrest warrants. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) abduction murder-investigation
(LEAD) Police nab suspected mastermind behind abduction, murder of woman
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with new info in paras 1-7; ADDS photo)
SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- Police on Wednesday detained a man suspected of orchestrating last week's kidnapping and murder of a woman.
The man, surnamed Yoo, was apprehended in Yongin, south of Seoul, on the charge of murder for hire, the Suseo Police Station said.
Yoo is believed to be an acquaintance of one of the three suspects who were arrested for allegedly kidnapping the 48-year-old woman in Gangnam Ward in southern Seoul on Wednesday night, killing her several hours later and burying her body on a hill in Daejeon, about 140 kilometers south of the capital.
The alleged motive for the crime was to steal the victim's cryptocurrency assets.
Later on Wednesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency identified the three suspects as Lee Kyeong-woo, 35; Hwang Dae-han, 35; and Yeon Ji-ho, 29.
Under criminal law, law enforcement can disclose the identities of suspects in heinous crimes for public safety.
Yoo is suspected of commissioning the abduction and murder. Yoo and his wife, surnamed Hwang, allegedly gave tens of millions of won to Lee Kyeong-woo before the incident.
The police are looking into whether the payment is linked to the crime and have barred the couple from leaving the country.
According to sources, Hwang and Lee have had a close relationship since a 2021 criminal case related to their cryptocurrency investment, which also involved the murdered victim.
According to legal sources, Lee, the murder victim and Hwang were co-investors in a cryptocurrency in 2020-21.
After the digital currency fell sharply in February 2021, Lee, the victim and other investors believed Hwang manipulated the token's price. They extorted 190 million won (US$144,460) worth of cryptocurrency coins from her.
Lee and two other suspects were apprehended Friday and formally arrested Monday.
Lee denied his involvement in the kidnapping and murder, but the two other accomplices have admitted to the crime.
The two claimed Lee proposed the crime to steal the victim's money and that they planned it for two to three months.
The police on Tuesday requested an arrest warrant for a man suspected of helping prepare the crime.
The police also raided a plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam on Tuesday and interviewed Lee's wife, who works there, to determine the source of the syringes and liquid presumed to be anesthetic found in the car used in the kidnapping.
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