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| Three Chinese hitmen allegedly took part in killing the parents of a notorious stock swindler. The people in the photo are unrelated to the story. gettyimagesbank |
By Jung Min-ho
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| The primary suspect in the double murder is escorted into a police station in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Yonhap |
Anyang Dongan Police Station said it confirmed that the Chinese fled to Qingdao on Feb. 25, hours after allegedly killing the parents of Lee Hee-jin, 33, who is serving a five-year jail term for swindling investors out of 20 billion won ($18 million) between 2014 and 2016.
Police said they would soon request an Interpol red notice to find the three.
The primary suspect, surnamed Kim, 34, allegedly hired the Chinese through the internet. It is unclear what he gave them in return.
According to police, the four people allegedly killed Lee's father, 62, and mother, 58, at their apartment in Anyang around 3:50 p.m. The Chinese left the place around 6:10 p.m. and boarded a plane that left Incheon International Airport for the Chinese city at around 11:50 p.m.
The next day, Kim had a moving company carry the refrigerator containing the father's body to a warehouse in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
The mother's body was left in the residence, from where he also stole 500 million won.
On March 16, police received a report from Lee's brother that he could not get in touch with his parents. The brother spent two years and six months in prison for his role in the swindles before being released recently.
After checking surveillance camera footage, police identified Kim's vehicle parked near the apartment and detained him on March 17.
During an interrogation, Kim claimed he killed the parents because they refused to repay a 20 million won debt, but police remain unconvinced because the amount is too small.
Lee became famous after appearing as a "stock genius" on many TV shows. He pretended to be wealthy as part of his tactics to attract investors.
His mother, surnamed Hwang, was head of investment consulting company K-Investment, which helped in the swindles, according to a local media report.
