Police Request Arrest Warrant for Wrong Person After Suspect Provides Stolen Identity

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

The Gangnam Police Station arrested a man in his 30s, identified as A, on June 8 on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act and driving under the influence of drugs.

Police were dispatched following a report of suspected drunk driving. When the breathalyzer test showed no signs of alcohol, they conducted a drug test and confirmed that A had used ketamine.

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

The police collected A's fingerprints, requested an analog fingerprint check, and filed for an arrest warrant. It was only after the warrant was requested to the court that the results came back, revealing that the fingerprints did not match the identity provided.

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

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

As news of the absurd mistake spread, raising concerns about insufficient basic investigative procedures, the National Police Agency attributed the incident to a mistake by the local station.

The National Police Agency stated, "There is a separate identification system available for use at patrol divisions and local police stations," adding, "They could have sufficiently verified the identity before requesting the arrest warrant."

In response, the Gangnam Police Station explained that while they usually verify fingerprints in real-time through the Criminal Records Management System, the system was unavailable at the time due to a migration process. They added, "We were in a tight situation as we had to request an arrest warrant within 36 hours of the arrest."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.