Gangnam Police File Arrest Warrant for Wrong Person After Drug Suspect Impersonates Another

A drug suspect who was arrested provided the personal information of another individual, leading police to file an arrest warrant for the wrong person without verifying their identity.

Fortunately, the suspect's identity was corrected before the court's detention hearing, but critics are pointing to a lack of basic investigative diligence.

On Thursday (June 18), the Gangnam Police Station stated that they arrested a man in his 30s, identified as A, on June 8 for violating the Narcotics Control Act and driving under the influence of drugs.

Police, who were dispatched following a report of suspected drunk driving, conducted a drug test and confirmed that the suspect had used ketamine, a psychotropic drug.

However, during the police investigation, A impersonated another person by providing a name, resident registration number, and address that he had memorized.

Typically, a suspect's identity is verified in real-time through the Criminal Information Management System (CIMS) using fingerprints. However, the system was reportedly unavailable at the time due to a data migration process.

Consequently, the police collected A's fingerprints, requested an analog-style verification, and proceeded to file for an arrest warrant.

The issue arose after the arrest warrant had already been filed with the court, when the results of the fingerprint check finally arrived, revealing that the fingerprints did not match the identity provided.

The police then re-identified A using the National Police Agency's internal identity verification system and requested that the prosecution and the court amend the arrest warrant.

A was eventually arrested on June 10, with additional charges including violation of the Resident Registration Act.

When asked if the police had been negligent in verifying the suspect's identity, a police official stated, "The identity verification system was not functioning properly at the time," adding, "We followed the established procedures to investigate and secure the arrest warrant."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.