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Saigonese, watch out for bandits ahead of Lunar New Year!

Saigonese, watch out for bandits ahead of Lunar New Year!

Monday, January 23, 2017, 15:54 GMT+7

The time before the Lunar New Year is often the busiest period of the year for residents in Ho Chi Minh City and also for bandits, as they have recently become more active and reckless.

As people need more cash for their spending in preparation for the Lunar New Year (Tet), which falls on January 28, robbers have taken this opportunity to steal from them.

According statistics of the municipal Department of Police, over 400 criminal offenses were committed from December 16, 2016 to January 22, 2017, of which 243 cases, accounting for 60 percent, were robberies.

The gangs are more likely to attack their ‘prey’ in newly established urban areas in the outlying districts, where residents tend to store a considerable amount of cash and gold at their own home.

In the most recent case, N.T.T.T., 42, residing in Thu Duc District, discovered that her US$7,000, VND220 million ($9,748), five taels (187.5 grams) of gold, and other jewelry pieces were stolen.

Police identified the culprit as Vo Nguyen Viet Tien, 23, who is T.’s nephew, a day later.

Tien was well aware that his aunt usually stores a large amount of cash at the end of the lunar year and decided to steal from her when she and other family members were not at home.

The offender had used the money to buy a motorbike, a cellphone, and pay his debt before being arrested by police officers.

Risks when transporting cash

Well-off people who carry cash on their automobiles can fall for a common trick that was infamously employed in 2009 and 2010.

At around 10:30 am on January 10, L. and V., two Ho Chi Minh City residents, withdrew some VND2 billion ($88,620) from a bank in District 1 and brought it home in a car.

As he was parking on a street waiting for V. to collect her products, a man approached his vehicle, telling V. that he had a flat tire.

After the victim got out to check the tire, another man rushed to the car and snatched the two handbags left there before trying to escape with his accomplice on a motorbike.

V. was swift enough to catch the robber and take back his belongings after a long struggle.

With a similar scheme, S., living in District 7, got his laptop, a hard drive, a checkbook and other items stolen from his car while he was checking his tire on January 16.

According to both victims, the suspects in the scam looked like foreigners.

Reminder for citizens

Police units have been tasked with carrying out regular patrols in order to ensure security and order during Tet, Colonel Nguyen Sy Quang, chief of staff of the city’s police department, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

The law enforcers have also been ordered to frequently remind residents to pay extra attention to their valuables during the period, Col. Quang stated.

It is advisable for people to carefully lock their doors before leaving and ask neighbors to keep an eye on their houses.

Security cameras are also a good tool to prevent house break-ins, the police official said.

Residents should not carry big amounts of cash on their motorbikes, he asserted, adding that traveling in a car is more recommended as long as the money is always guarded.

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