'Paju Café Murder' Owner Made Victim Leave Her Phone in Car Before Alleged Crime

[Financial News] Shin, a 39-year-old café owner detained on suspicion of killing a woman in her 60s at a café’s freezer warehouse in Paju-si, was found to have made the victim leave her mobile phone in a vehicle before the alleged crime. Afterward, Shin reportedly turned off the victim’s phone and kept it separately.
According to The Dong-A Ilbo on the 10th, investigators found that Shin, who is suspected of luring the victim to the freezer warehouse at around 11 a.m. on the 3rd and killing her, made her leave her phone in the vehicle. Police are investigating whether Shin had planned from the outset to cut off the victim’s communication with the outside world.
Additional circumstances suggesting that Shin attempted to conceal the alleged crime have also emerged. At around 2:40 a.m. on the 4th, when a missing-person investigator asked about the victim’s whereabouts, Shin lied, saying, in effect, that she had already left. Shin gave a similar response when the investigator called again about an hour later. Shin reportedly gave similar explanations to acquaintances, including the person who had arranged the meeting between Shin and the victim. However, after confining the woman, Shin visited the freezer warehouse several times before being arrested on the 4th.
Police also found counterfeit gift certificates worth tens of billions of won alongside the victim’s body at the freezer warehouse at around 2:30 p.m. on the 4th. Investigators determined that Shin had commissioned a printing company to produce them in late July. Shin reportedly requested that they be made to resemble department-store gift certificates, saying, "They will be used for a film shoot." The back of the 500,000-won-denomination certificates carried the word "For filming," but the wording was reportedly hidden by the paper band.
Police are investigating whether the counterfeit gift certificates found this time were intended for sale rather than use as film props. They have also booked a man who brought the victim to the café as a suspect on suspicion of forging securities.
Police also determined that the suspects approached the victim while mentioning a fee, ostensibly asking her to have the authenticity of the gift certificates assessed.
Shin installed the freezer warehouse one week before the alleged crime. Police are also investigating the circumstances surrounding its installation.
Meanwhile, after performing an autopsy on the victim, the National Forensic Service gave a preliminary verbal opinion that there were no unusual external injuries. Police will determine the final cause of death based on the formal forensic findings.
[email protected] Ahn Ga-eul Reporter