South Korean police: repatriated suspects from Cambodia told to systematically lie and deny charges
South Korean police are investigating scam suspects repatriated from Cambodia who were allegedly instructed by their ringleaders to deny all charges and fabricate statements before their return, falsely claiming they had travelled to Cambodia to work at a furniture factory.
- South Korean police are investigating scam suspects repatriated from Cambodia who are linked to a transnational fraud ring.
- The suspects were allegedly instructed to deny all wrongdoing, claim they were working at a furniture factory, and provide false statements to authorities.
- Police suspect coordinated deception and have warned that members may attempt to flee overseas again with assistance from senior figures in the syndicate.
Members of a transnational scam syndicate repatriated from Cambodia to South Korea were allegedly instructed by their ringleaders to deny all wrongdoing and provide false statements to authorities before their return, according to South Korean police.
The suspects, who were part of a larger criminal organisation operating under Chinese and Korean leaders, were reportedly divided into groups to carry out various types of fraud.
Before their repatriation, the group allegedly coordinated their responses, denying all charges and fabricating their reasons for being in Cambodia.
According to a Yonhap News report on 22 October, investigators from the South Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency said that a key figure in the group, identified only as “A”, was detained after several members were arrested in Cambodia.
A is accused of instructing detained members to deny all allegations and to give false testimony about the purpose of their stay in Cambodia.
A was quoted telling members: “Say that you were arrested while working in a furniture factory. Deny all charges to the end. I will pay the Cambodian police to take care of it. Once everyone is released, we can return to our office in Sihanoukville and continue working.”
It was reported that after being detained by Cambodia’s immigration authorities, the suspects lied during interviews with South Korean embassy officials and police officers, claiming they had gone to Cambodia to work at a furniture factory.
More than ten members even provided false personal information to consular staff. Police believe that these coordinated denials were made under the instructions of the group’s management.
Investigators also discovered that the suspects had paid US$500 to Cambodian police to reset their mobile phones, left their devices behind in local detention centres, and later planned to tell South Korean authorities that their phones had been “confiscated by Cambodian police”.
Based on these findings, police warned that if any suspects were released, they might attempt to flee abroad again with the help of senior figures in the syndicate.
Authorities cited previous cases in which an organisational head fled overseas immediately after being questioned in South Korea.
Earlier this week, 45 suspects repatriated from Cambodia in connection with the case were taken into custody by the South Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency for investigation.
According to Chosun Daily, police are investigating a total of 64 suspects repatriated from Cambodia. The case stems from a crackdown by Cambodian authorities on local phishing call centres between July and September, which led to the deportation of multiple Korean nationals.
Police have distributed the 64 suspects across six regional police agencies nationwide for investigation.
