South Korean police on Friday said it is investigating five people on the suspicion of abducting a man, who was rescued by police after jumping out of their car to escape.
The suspects kidnapped the victim at around 1 a.m. on March 20 in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, according to Jungwon Police Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The leader of the kidnapping ring got acquainted with the victim, who possesses substantial wealth, and lured him out for a drink with the intent to abduct him.
After having the drink, he offered to hire the victim a substitute driver -- a service for those who cannot drive their own cars home due to inebriation -- but called his accomplices instead. They assaulted the victim and drove him from Songpa-gu to Jungwon-gu in Seongnam.
The suspects took the victim's cash and his 90-million-won ($66,700) watch, with the alleged intent to extort more money from him.
About 10 hours after being kidnapped, the victim found that his binds had become lose and jumped out of the car, and asked people passing by to call the police. He sustained injuries that required 10 weeks of medical treatment.
The leader of the kidnappers, a man in his 50s, told police he had planned the abduction because of financial troubles.
The suspects are being charged with bodily injury resulting from robbery, stipulated by Article 337 of the Criminal Act and punishable by up to life in prison, with a minimum of seven years in jail.
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