A man in his 40s has been sent to the prosecution for intentionally causing traffic accidents and extorting tens of millions of won in settlement money.

Incheon Bupyeong Police Station announced today (September 30) that it has arrested and referred a man in his 40s, surnamed A (46), to the prosecution on habitual extortion charges.

Mr. A is accused of deliberately colliding with right-turning vehicles while crossing crosswalks with pedestrian signals on 30 occasions at intersections around Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, between July 6 and September 5, pocketing 22 million won in settlements.

Investigations revealed that Mr. A committed the crimes by hiding and waiting in driver blind spots, such as utility poles and street trees.

After the incidents, Mr. A reportedly demanded settlement money from drivers by citing violations of pedestrian protection duties, collected the money via bank transfer, and left the scene.

Following a victim's civil complaint consultation, police used closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage to identify Mr. A and emergency-arrested him on the 5th while he was scouting for targets at Sipjeong Intersection in Bupyeong-gu.

Mr. A reportedly stated during police questioning that he committed the crimes to secure gambling funds.

Based on Mr. A's account history, police estimate that the number of crimes reaches around 100 with total damages amounting to 60 million won, and are investigating him for additional offenses.

A police official advised that drivers who experienced pedestrian collision accidents while making right turns at crosswalks around Sipjeong Intersection and Yeowumul Intersection in Bupyeong-gu during the said period and sent settlement money may be victims of fraud and extortion, urging such drivers to report the cases to the Traffic Investigation Team at Bupyeong Police Station.

(Photo provided by Incheon Bupyeong Police Station, Yonhap News)