Citizens chase down jewelry thief, identify culprits

Multiple people in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, aided in bringing jewelry thieves to justice, according to local police, chasing one thief on foot and also identifying him and his accomplice.

The National Police Agency on Friday posted a video of their recent arrest, in which two men who stole gold jewelry with an estimated value of 35.7 million won ($25,800) were arrested.

In the video posted on the NPA's official YouTube page, a customer apparently took a gold necklace while pretending to examine it at a Namyangju store. The store owner jumped over the counter to pursue the apparent thief, along with another employee and a taxi driver who was passing by. He was caught and forced to return the stolen necklace.

The alleged thief escaped the scene but was later identified by another onlooker, who alerted officers who arrived moments later. After the primary suspect was taken into custody, others testified to identify another man allegedly working with him.

The two suspects are under investigation for special larceny, stipulated by Article 331 of the Criminal Act as theft via trespassing, with a deadly weapon or by collective force.