Frequent Thief of Unmanned Store Continues to Steal Despite Warning Signs

A man in his 40s, who has repeatedly stolen items from an unmanned store, has been caught by the police.

The affected store owner expressed frustration, stating that the man showed no remorse.

According to JTBC's "Incident Manager," which aired on the 18th, the store owner, referred to as Mr. A, reported that the man entered the unmanned store on the 4th, selected snacks and drinks, and pretended to scan the barcode at the kiosk and insert a card, but left without making a payment.

Despite the message on the kiosk screen stating, "Approval has been canceled," the man ignored it.

Upon reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, it became clear that the man's actions were not simply mistakes but a pattern of habitual theft.

The man had stolen items a staggering 11 times using the same method since the 25th of the previous month until the day of his capture.

Even more shocking, he had once gone so far as to flip his ID card over while pretending to make a card payment.

Continued Theft Despite Warnings

Mr. A put up a warning sign in the store with the man's photo, stating, "Report filed with the police," and "Please contact us voluntarily." However, the man saw these signs and returned to steal frozen food and drinks again.

At that time, Mr. A even attached the man's photo to a refrigerator, but it was of no use.

Unable to endure any longer, Mr. A even wrote a note on the freezer saying, "Please stop taking items," but the man did not cease his criminal activities.

Ultimately, after reporting to the police, the man was apprehended. However, during the investigation, he attempted to evade responsibility by claiming, "I was drunk, so I don’t remember."

He later acknowledged his crimes but reportedly showed a lack of remorse by saying, "Isn't it enough just to repay the amount of the damage?"

Mr. A emphasized, "I find the man's attitude very disgusting," and stated, "If I forgive him like this, I feel that he will commit the crime again, so I definitely want him to be punished."

Meanwhile, incidents of theft at unmanned stores have been on the rise recently.

The nature of unmanned stores makes real-time surveillance difficult, and the ease of fleeing after committing crimes is cited as a primary reason for this trend.

Experts recommend that unmanned store operators enhance security measures, such as installing high-definition CCTV, employing double locking mechanisms on entry doors, and improving payment systems.

Additionally, some unmanned stores are reportedly considering the implementation of AI-based abnormal behavior detection systems to preemptively block attempted thefts.

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Image source: jtbc 'Incident Manager,' illustrative photos for better understanding of the article / gettyimagesbank