Vietnamese police are searching for a Russian woman who has disappeared after a bank staffer in the southern city of Vung Tau allegedly gave her US$11,575 more than the actual amount she possessed last year, local media reported. Police in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province on Tuesday said they are hunting Anna Studnitsyna, a 36-year-old Russian woman, who left her temporary residence in Ward 3 of Vung Tau City, the former capital of the province, earlier this year. Studnitsyna might have committed the act of “illegally holding property,” news website VnExpress cited police as saying. Studnitsyna disappeared after she worked with police on a report by the Vung Tau branch of DongA Joint Stock Commercial Bank (DongA Bank) saying that last year it mistakenly gave her $12,145, which is $11,575 higher than the actual amount of $570 she was supposed to receive. According to investigators, Studnitsyna, who had opened a foreign currency account at the bank, received two transfers of $1,570 and $570 from a Japan-based company on December 9 and 15, 2014, respectively. On December 10, 2014, she arrived at the branch to withdraw $1,570 from the transferred amount, and a week later, she came again to get the remaining $570 (equivalent to VND12,145,000 at that time). By mistake, a bank staffer issued a payment voucher for $12,145 to Studnitsyna, which means she received $11,575 more than the true amount. On January 12, the bank discovered the mistake and informed her of it, but she did not agree to return the different amount to the bank, saying it was hers. The bank, therefore, reported the case to police. In a meeting later with investigators, Studnitsyna said the amount of $12,145 was transferred to her by her partner in Japan. 

However, after verification, police found that no deal had been made between her and her partner for such an amount, VnExpress reported. After that meeting, Studnitsyna left her residence in Vung Tau and did not continue to work with investigators, despite police summons. Meanwhile, Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper quoted an investigator as saying on Monday that Studnitsyna had recognized that the bank overpaid her, and promised to return the amount to the lender, but she has yet to do so. On February 12, local police reported the case to the Russian Consulate General in Vietnam and other competent Vietnamese agencies.   Studnitsyna’s acts show signs of ‘illegally holding property’ under Article 141 of the Penal Code, VnExpress quoted an investigator as saying. “If Studnitsyna continues not to work with authorities to pay back the above-mentioned different amount to the bank, she will be handled under the law of Vietnam,” the investigator said.

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