Burglary Ring

[Anchor Lead]

Police have arrested a four-member burglary ring that stole goods from apartment units on lower floors. The culprits targeted apartments near mountains, as few CCTV cameras are installed there.

[Pkg]

A man wearing a mask and cap hides behind a wall with stolen goods in hand. When another man sends the signal, he escapes toward the mountain. The men are part of a burglary ring that targets the lower floors of apartment buildings. They check ahead of time to see which direction the apartment surveillance cameras are pointed. Then, they open the terrace locks and burglarize the empty homes on the first three floors. Starting earlier this year, they have used this method to steal money and goods worth 170 million won in 22 burglaries in six cities nationwide, including Daejeon and Cheonan.

[Soundbite] Yun (Burglary Victim) : "I'm good with locking doors. But I was burglarized because they were determined to steal."

The police found that the burglary ring members had met in prison last year. They planned their crimes meticulously, even planning that their 46-year-old ringleader would take care of them in prison if they got arrested.

[Soundbite] Jo Nam-cheon(Felony Division, Daejeon Yuseong Police Station) : "When security guards are on patrol or they can't communicate through their walkie-talkies, the culprits would shine their laser pointers through the window so their accomplices could hide or flee."

The police have arrested three burglars for habitual special larceny and booked without detention one man for aiding and abetting and six fencers of stolen goods.