[Newsmaker] Taiwanese voice-phishing suspect alarms police by coughing

A Taiwanese person arrested for voice phishing repeatedly coughed and said he felt feverish Thursday morning, prompting police to take precautions against the novel coronavirus.

The 35-year-old, locked up at the Gwangju Bukbu Police Station for allegedly stealing cash through telephone fraud, was taken to a clinic, where he was declared well as he had a normal temperature and no symptoms of pneumonia.

Medical staff assumed that his persistent coughing was due to excessive smoking.

Police had barred entry into the criminal department and isolated the man’s fellow inmates and officers who had been in contact with him as well as their families.

Health authorities disinfected and sanitized the criminal department and the lockup he stayed in.

Upon being informed that the Taiwanese was not suspected of having the new coronavirus, police brought him back to the station and lifted the temporary preventive measures after an hour and 40 minutes.

The man had traveled from Taiwan to Korea on Sunday and was arrested Wednesday, hours after breaking into a house in Buk-gu, Gwangju, and stealing 17.5 million won in cash that the voice-phishing victim had withdrawn.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)