Hiding on stairwells to spy on door-lock codes, then ransacking empty homes... serial burglaries at one apartment complex, with 12 break-ins

[Financial News] A man in his 30s has been arrested and placed in custody after hiding on apartment stairwells to secretly learn residents’ front-door lock codes, then breaking into empty homes and stealing valuables worth tens of millions of won.
Namyangju South Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said on the 23rd that it had arrested and detained a man in his 30s on suspicion of theft and other offenses.
According to police, A is suspected of targeting an apartment complex in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, for about two months from early August through this month, breaking into a total of 12 homes and stealing valuables worth 40 million won, including jewelry.
The investigation found that A, who had no fixed residence, would hide and wait in stairwells of corridor-access or stair-access apartment buildings, watching the hand movements of residents returning home as they entered their door-lock codes and learning the numbers.
After confirming that residents of the units had left for work or gone out, leaving their homes empty, he took advantage of the dawn or early-morning hours, usually when few people were around, entering by keying in the codes and committing the thefts.
After receiving a tip and launching an investigation, police tracked down A and arrested him at his hideout on the 17th. More than 140 pieces of jewelry, including rings and necklaces stolen from residents, were found at the site and all were seized.
A police official said, “We plan to thoroughly investigate whether there were any additional affected households and whether A committed other offenses, then transfer him to prosecutors in custody soon,” and urged residents to take precautions: “When entering a door-lock code, cover the keypad with your hand or an item you are carrying.”

[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter