A man in his 20s has been arrested on charges of breaking into a jewelry store inside a large hypermarket and stealing gold bracelets worth about 500 million won ($360,000) in just 90 seconds.
Incheon Namdong Police Station said on the 16th that it had detained the man, identified only as A, on charges of nighttime burglary. Park Young-ki, a senior judge at the Incheon District Court handling arrest warrants, issued the warrant later that day after questioning the suspect, saying there was a risk he would flee.
A is accused of entering a jewelry store on the second floor of the Homeplus Ganseok branch in Incheon's Namdong District at around 2 a.m. on the 14th and taking 173 gold bracelets in 14-karat and 18-karat gold. The store owner estimated the losses at about 500 million won.
Investigators found that A wore a hooded raincoat and a mask to conceal his face during the crime. He smashed the glass on top of a display case with a blunt object, grabbed the bracelets and fled.
A remained inside the hypermarket building for about 10 minutes. Entering the jewelry store, sweeping up the bracelets and getting out took only about 90 seconds, according to police. Officers apprehended him roughly 12 hours after the break-in.
Ahead of the warrant hearing, A claimed that he had needed money because of financial hardship, that he had found the store through an internet portal search and that he had acted alone.
