Dongtan 'Revenge-for-Hire' Crime Suspect in Her 20s Arrested... "Acted on Telegram Instructions"

Participated in exchange for money while using small loans
Two suspects in similar crimes previously arrested
Police suspect "the same superior gave the orders"

Recently, a series of "revenge-for-hire" crimes have occurred, involving acts such as splashing filth or spraying lacquer on people's homes in exchange for money. On March 4, a suspect in a terror incident in Hwaseong was apprehended.

According to Yonhap News on March 7, the Dongtan Police Station in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, plans to request an arrest warrant for a woman in her 20s, identified as A, on charges of property damage, trespassing, and defamation.

Telegram logo. Getty Images

On March 4 at around 8:30 p.m., A allegedly sprayed red lacquer on the front door of a fourth-floor apartment in Dongtan New Town, Hwaseong, and threw food waste before fleeing the scene. It is reported that she also scattered around 30 leaflets containing false information about a resident of the targeted household in various locations at the scene. The police received a report at 12:19 a.m. the following day and launched an investigation, tracking down and urgently arresting A at her residence in Daegu at 4:18 p.m. the previous day.

A testified that she committed the crime after being encouraged to participate in a revenge-for-hire operation while receiving text messages offering loans and taking out small loans. She stated that, during the loan inquiry process, she was introduced to a Telegram chatroom. After being promised a reward for carrying out tasks, she engaged in the revenge-for-hire crime. A transferred 700,000 won in cash, prepared the tools for the crime, traveled to Dongtan, committed the offense, and then fled.

Based on A's testimony and the method of the crime, the police suspect that her superior may be the same individual behind the recent series of revenge-for-hire crimes.

On February 22 and 24, suspects in their 20s, who were arrested for revenge-for-hire incidents in Dongtan, Hwaseong, and in Gunpo, committed similar acts of terror, such as spraying red lacquer on victims' front doors. Suspect B is accused of throwing food waste and scribbling with red lacquer paint on the front door of a 15th-floor apartment in Dongtan New Town, Hwaseong, at around 8:30 p.m. on February 22. He also allegedly scattered around 40 leaflets containing false information defaming the victim and applied glue to the door lock. During police questioning, B stated, "Through news reports, I learned that there are so-called 'revenge-for-hire' organizations that carry out personal revenge on behalf of clients," adding, "On February 14, I found such an organization’s Telegram channel myself and participated in the crime." He claimed that he received instructions along with information such as the victim's address and committed the act in exchange for about 800,000 won worth of cryptocurrency. B said, "I learned about such incidents by watching the news," and "I did it for the money, and this was my first time."

Suspect C, who committed the crime at a multi-family residence in Gunpo on February 24, used a similar method for the attack. They both stated that they received instructions from a superior whom they met through Telegram and committed the crime in exchange for cryptocurrency.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that more than 20 similar revenge-for-hire cases have occurred nationwide.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.