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| ▲ This combination of photos shows three suspects involved in the abduction and murder of a woman being taken to the Seoul Central District Court on April 3, 2023, for a hearing to review the police's request for their arrest warrants. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) abduction murder-investigation
(LEAD) 3 suspects arrested in abduction, murder of woman
(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES throughout with latest info)
SEOUL, April 3 (Yonhap) -- Police arrested three suspects for investigation Monday for allegedly abducting a woman in Seoul's posh Gangnam district last week and murdering her.
The arrest came upon the Seoul Central District Court's issuance of arrest warrants for the three men -- surnamed Lee, 35; Hwang, 36; and Yeon, 30 -- citing flight risk and concerns of destroying evidence.
Police detained the three Friday on suspicions of kidnapping the 48-year-old woman near an apartment building in Gangnam Ward on Wednesday night, killing her the following day and burying her body on a hill in Daejeon, about 140 kilometers south of the capital.
Investigators believe the crime was masterminded by Lee. The other two accomplices told the police that Lee proposed kidnapping and killing the victim to steal her money, and that they planned the crime for two to three months.
Lee told the police he suffered a loss of 80 million won (US$60,790) from his investment in 2020 in a cryptocurrency company the victim had worked for.
Police were also looking into the possibility of a contract killing involving failed cryptocurrency investment by acquaintances of Lee.
Police suspect Lee masterminded the murder, given he gave a total of 7 million won to Hwang after proposing the crime, and were trying to identify Lee's motive.
Police also booked another 20-something man for investigation Sunday over suspected involvement in the murder. Upon a proposal from Hwang, he had allegedly tailed her before quitting in mid-March. Police were reviewing filing for a warrant to arrest him as well.
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