South Korean police announced Thursday the arrest of a 42-year-old woman accused of murdering two children whose remains were found in a suitcase in New Zealand.
The woman, believed to be the mother of the two dead young children, was arrested in South Korea on a New Zealand request for murder, police in both countries said.
He added that he would now face extradition proceedings.
“Police arrested the suspect at an apartment in Ulsan on Thursday following tips on his whereabouts and CCTV footage,” Seoul’s National Police Agency said in a statement.
“The suspect is accused by New Zealand police of killing her two children, aged seven and 10, in the Auckland area around 2018,” it said.
“She arrived in South Korea after the crime and has been in hiding ever since,” it added.
Yonhap news agency reported that the woman was a New Zealander born in South Korea.
“Police plan to transfer the woman to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office in preparation for extradition screening by the Seoul High Court,” Yonhap said.
The gruesome revelation came after an unsuspecting family bought a trailer full of items – including suitcases – at an auction of abandoned goods near Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.
Detective Inspector Tofilau Famanuya Wailua in Auckland said the case was a “very difficult investigation”.
“Having someone in custody overseas in such a short period of time is all dependent on the assistance of the Korean authorities and the cooperation of our New Zealand Police Interpol staff,” the detective said.
