Superstitious thief wears women`s underwear to avoid arrest

An unusual burglar was caught trying to rob a house in Shillim-dong in southern Seoul on Tuesday evening last week. Police found that the thief, 47, identified only as his surname Lee, was carrying 20 women`s panties in his backpack in addition to thieves` usual tools such as a pipe cutter and a spanner. Suspecting that the burglar might have committed sexual crimes, a police officer grilled him. Driven into a corner, the suspect suddenly took off his pants to reveal a woman`s panty he was wearing. He claimed that he put on women`s underwear in the belief that he would never get caught if he had it on.

Lee, who once made a living as a welder, stole 10 million won (10,000 U.S. dollars) worth of jewelry, laptop computers, cameras, watches and fragrances in 17 thefts in the Shillim-dong and surrounding areas from January 2013 to this month. When police officers searched his home, they found 39 women`s panties, 14 brassieres and 15 pairs of panty hoses. An officer at the Gwanak Police Station said Lee is probably a burglar with sexual perversion. Police detained Lee last Friday on charges of habitual thefts.