A man was arrested for stealing credit cards from intoxicated people and spending tens of millions of won on gambling, Seoul police said Sunday.
The 44-year-old thief surnamed Lee targeted drunk people he accosted on the streets. He singled out men who passed out in busy districts and pretended to offer a helping hand -- either to hail a cab or give them company for another round of drinks.
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Lee then told his victims that they need more cash and directed them to ATMs where he got their PIN numbers.
After nipping credit cards from his unsuspecting victims, Lee took out large sums of money in a number of separate withdrawals.
The police tracked down Lee’s movements by analyzing surveillance camera records. When he was taken into custody at a subway station in Gwangjin-gu, he had spent all the money he stole -- 22 million won ($19,000) -- betting on races.
Lee was found to be a jobless ex-convict with 10 counts of robbery on his record.
The police are continuing to investigate Lee’s case after he testified to committing more thefts with this method.
By Lim Jeong-yeo (
kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)
