[Anchor]
The prosecution has conducted a search and seizure operation at the Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju, which handled the investigation into Jang Yoon-gi, the perpetrator of a high school girl's murder. The primary focus of the investigation is on allegations of evidence destruction and the leakage of investigative information by the police team. Prosecutors also plan to determine whether higher-ranking police officials who oversaw the investigation were involved.
Reporter Kim su-yun has the story.
[Reporter]
Prosecution investigators arrived at the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station early in the morning.
The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office launched its first search and seizure operation targeting the police team that investigated the case of Jang Yoon-gi, who murdered a high school girl.
[(Could you please tell us what evidence you have secured?) ......]
The prosecution has booked the team leader, Inspector A, and Investigator B from the same team on charges including breach of official confidentiality and destruction of evidence. They also searched Inspector A's residence, as well as the offices of the Criminal Investigation Division and the Women and Juvenile Affairs Division at Gwangsan Police Station.
The prosecution, having included the current workplace of the former head of the Criminal Investigation Division and the office of the Gwangsan Police Chief in the search, plans to investigate whether higher-ranking officials were involved.
The prosecution is expected to focus its investigation on the suspected collusion between the police investigation team and Jang Yoon-gi's father, a police inspector surnamed Jang, who is a serving police official in the Gwangju area.
It has been determined that immediately after the murder of the high school girl occurred on May 5, the police investigation team provided Inspector Jang with his son Jang Yoon-gi's address and password. Inspector Jang then personally retrieved and destroyed two "real dolls" from Jang Yoon-gi's residence, which were key pieces of evidence proving the sex crime.
Allegations have also been raised that the investigation team shared confidential information with Inspector Jang, including the fact that they planned to apply for an arrest warrant for Jang Yoon-gi and the details of the warrant.
Furthermore, it was revealed that the team received a DNA analysis report on the real dolls from the National Forensic Service but failed to forward it, only sending it to the prosecution recently after its existence was exposed. Additionally, it was newly discovered that Inspector A recently ordered a subordinate to delete a video showing cable ties, which are suspected to be tools used in the kidnapping and sex crime, during the search of Jang Yoon-gi's vehicle.
The prosecution reportedly captured numerous recordings of phone calls between Inspector Jang and the investigation team on a mobile phone seized during a search in May, and it is understood that they have re-secured this device.
The prosecution is also reported to have confirmed a conversation from May 6, the day after Jang Yoon-gi was emergency arrested, in which Investigator B told Inspector Jang, "An order came down from the higher-ups to keep it a secret that you, Jang Yoon-gi's father, are a police officer."
(Reported by Jeong Gyeong-mun | Video by Shin Se-eun and Choi Hye-ran)
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