A 31-year-old South Korean man whose body was found stuffed in a large bag in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday is believed to be the ringleader of a voice phishing organization operating in Cambodia, according to Korean media reports citing police, Wednesday.
Vietnamese police have also identified two South Korean men — aged 25 and 24 — as suspects in the killing. The pair are reported to be members of a criminal gang based in Daegu, South Korea, both with previous criminal records.
The suspects are accused of running a money laundering scheme in Vietnam, catering to criminal networks in Cambodia. They allegedly beat the victim to death after a dispute tied to gambling debts, police said.
“The local (Vietnamese) police are investigating the case, and our international criminal investigation team will conduct further investigations based on their findings when the suspects are extradited,” News1 quoted a Korean police official as saying.
The victim’s body was discovered inside a large blue bag near an apartment complex in Ho Chi Minh City around 4 p.m. Sunday, after a security guard and passersby alerted police about a strong odor coming from the bag. Two men near the scene reportedly fled in a taxi when a crowd gathered.
seungku99@heraldcorp.com
