[Anchor]

Learning that a fraudster had fled, victims frantically called investigative agencies, only to find the police and prosecutors pointing fingers at each other. Frustrated by the inaction, the victims eventually took matters into their own hands to track down the suspect.

This is an exclusive report by reporter An Huijae.

[Reporter]

Shocked to hear that the fraudster, surnamed Park, had escaped—whom they thought was safely behind bars—the victims called the police officer in charge of the case, only to receive an absurd response.

[Victim & Police Investigator (Phone Call on August 19): (What if he runs away, what if he smuggles himself out of the country?) .... What can we possibly do about smuggling? What are we supposed to do about someone smuggling themselves out?]

The investigator claimed that they had already transferred most of the fraud cases, shifting the responsibility to the prosecutors and the courts.

[Victim & Police Investigator (Phone Call on August 19): In cases like ○○○'s, it's not my case anymore. Ask the prosecutor where he is and tell them to catch him. The responsibility lies with the court that initially released him with a three-year suspended sentence, and with the prosecution for failing to take action...]

The prosecution's explanation, however, was somewhat different.

They bounced the ball back to the police, noting that it was the police who had obtained the arrest warrant for Park.

[Victim & Prosecutor's Office Investigator (Phone Call on September 1): Since it's a separate case, it has nothing to do with us right now. The police officer probably knows better than anyone else.]

Disappointed by this game of hot potato between the police and prosecutors, the victims directly visited Park's family, leading to a commotion where the police were dispatched to the scene.

[Responding Police Officer (September 2): Because the law isn't playing its proper role, you have come out here yourselves to realize justice. But you could still end up punished for trespassing. The law is really... at times like this...]

[Lim Seo-yeon, Luxury Goods Purchase Fraud Victim: It felt like they were dodging responsibility, playing a ping-pong game. They kept saying, 'It's not us,' 'It's not us either'... giving him all the time to hide and run away. Why on earth do we have to go out and hunt him down ourselves?]

When asked about where the responsibility lies, internal voices within the police complained, asking why the prosecutors were not taking proactive steps and claiming that prosecutors were washing their hands of livelihood-related crimes ahead of the implementation of revised Criminal Procedure Act amendments. Meanwhile, an official from the prosecution maintained a principled stance, stating that since the suspect was originally imprisoned, they were investigating according to procedures based on the case being forwarded without detention.

(Video Editing: Kim Jin-won, VJ: No Jaemin, Graphics: Yang Gi-tae, Kim Min-young)