Former taxi driver caught injuring self to extort drivers

A former taxi driver was caught intentionally hitting his hand against side-view mirrors as vehicles drove by and demanding compensation, police said Thursday.

Dongdaemun Police Station in Seoul said the 64-year-old man is in custody on the charge of intentionally injuring his wrist and swindling drivers of around 5 million won ($4,500).

Police said the suspect had targeted cars on narrow streets in Gangbuk-gu since last year, causing injuries to himself by punching the side-view mirrors of vehicles that were slowly passing by.

The scheme was carried out in 27 separate cases, police said.

The man denied any wrongdoing, arguing that the accident was “unintentional,” but the police said it collected video footage from black boxes and CCTV that indicated intent.

By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)