The police investigating the kidnapping and murder of a woman in Seoul's affluent Gangnam District are seeking an arrest warrant for a man believed to be the mastermind of the crime.

The Seoul Suseo Police Station on Friday filed to arrest the man identified by his surname Yoo, which will be decided by the court after a hearing scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.

The man faces charges of aiding and abetting robbery and murder, as the police suspect him of paying a deposit to one of the three main culprits, identified as 36-year-old Lee Kyeong-woo, to kidnap and murder the victim, a 48-year-old woman.

Investigators apprehended Yoo and his wife, who had sent a total of 40 million won to Lee in 2021, at a department store in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday after detecting contact between the two after the crime.

Lee reportedly demanded 60 million won from Yoo between last Wednesday night, immediately following the crime and last Friday afternoon when he was apprehended by authorities. Police believe the sum is the remainder of pledged payment.

While Yoo has denied the alleged hire-for-murder accusations, the police are also looking into the fact that the suspect and his wife were embroiled in a number of civil lawsuits with the victim regarding cryptocurrency investments.