(Budget=Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Ju-hyeong = The Criminal Mobile Unit of the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency announced on the 1st that 14 people, including damage assessment investigators, have been referred to prosecution without detention on charges of falsely creating agricultural machinery insurance quotations and pocketing the insurance money (in violation of the Special Act on Prevention of Insurance Fraud, etc.).
Damage assessment investigator A (in their 50s) is suspected of having pocketed 380 million won worth of insurance money by creating false quotations and damage assessment reports over 17 instances from August 2022 to February of this year. A is alleged to have deceived insurance applicants in the Chungnam, Chungbuk, and southern Gyeonggi regions by making non-covered agricultural machinery appear as covered, or by pretending to repair non-repaired parts of partially damaged agricultural machinery.
According to police investigations, A is believed to have lured 13 local farmers and agricultural machinery repairmen who had subscribed to agricultural machinery comprehensive insurance to participate in the crime, allowing them to receive excessive insurance money and pocketing the kickbacks.
A is also under investigation for auctioning off 198 completely damaged agricultural machinery through an auction company at a low price, repairing them, and reselling them to pocket the price difference.
The police, who launched an investigation following complaints from insurance companies, have identified A as the main suspect and have applied for arrest warrants twice since July, but both were rejected.
The businesses A dealt with number over 80 and are located in Cheonan, Nonsan, and Seosan in Chungnam, Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi, and Jincheon in Chungbuk. The police are currently investigating additional crime circumstances and related charges against A and the businesses.
A police official stated, "We will respond sternly to this malicious crime that undermines the financial soundness of agricultural machinery comprehensive insurance, a national policy insurance," and added, "We will closely cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and insurance companies by establishing a hotline."