On 22/8, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency reported that its mobile patrol unit arrested a man in his 60s near Sillim Station in Gwanak District.

Around 11:30 AM on 20/8, the patrol unit saw the man quickly flee after discarding a cigarette butt. In Seoul, littering a cigarette butt carries a fine of 50,000 won (38 USD).

When stopped by police, the man pleaded, "Please let me go this once," and tried to hail a taxi. Suspicious of his behavior, the officers requested identification. He refused, repeatedly saying, "Please let me go, I'll give you money," while pretending to make a phone call as a distraction and then running from the scene.

The man in white was arrested near Sillim Station in Gwanak District, Seoul on 20/8 after being caught littering a cigarette butt. Photo: Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency

The man in white was arrested near Sillim Station in Gwanak District, Seoul on 20/8 after being caught littering a cigarette butt. Photo: Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency

After questioning, police discovered he was a wanted fugitive with a warrant issued in 2020 for 10 offenses, including fraud and assault.

Investigators revealed the man had defrauded approximately 1,300 people of 17.7 billion won (13 million USD) through a cryptocurrency scam from 2018 to 2019, before going into hiding in 2020. He has been transferred to the Southern Seoul District Prosecutors' Office, which is leading the investigation.

The rise in cryptocurrency-related crime has alarmed governments worldwide.

According to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, cryptocurrency platforms lost 2.2 billion USD to theft in 2024, while criminals received an estimated 40.9 billion USD in cryptocurrency.

Last year, South Korean police arrested over 200 people for allegedly stealing 240 million USD in what is believed to be the country's largest cryptocurrency investment scam.

Tue Anh (according to Hankook Ilbo, BBC)