Thirteen Vietnamese have been captured for allegedly robbing foreigners after tricking them into hotels in Ho Chi Minh City, officials announced on Saturday.
The thirteen suspects, including sex workers, masseuses and thugs, were nabbed after police had tracked them for 20 days, said Colonel Nguyen Van Quy, head of the police department in the outlying district of Binh Chanh in Ho Chi Minh City.
They were divided into four groups led by Tran Thi My Linh, 41, Duong Thi Thu Hien, 45, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nhung, 42, and Nguyen Thi Than Tuyen, 27.
The gangs committed the crime by stealing the tourists’ property after the sex workers and masseuses had successfully convinced them to come to several hotels in Binh Chanh District and District 8 to buy their services.
The suspects usually targeted foreigners from Asian countries as they do not commonly report theft to authorities for fear of embarrassment and further trouble.
They successfully carried out the crime five times, appropriating hundreds of millions of dong (VND100 million = US$4,440), according to police officers.
On the night of December 17, police spotted Linh’s group after they had managed to persuade three foreigners in District 1 to follow them into a hotel in Binh Chanh.
The gang was caught red handed the moment they stepped out of the hotel and related exhibits were also confiscated by police officers for investigation.
Tran Thi My Linh, in black, is pictured answering questions at a police station. Photo: Tuoi Tre
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