Police in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang have arrested two Mongolian men for stealing tourists’ credit cards and using them to purchase jewelry and other valuable products.

The two suspects, Yagaazad Naranbat, 37, and  Baasanjav Shinebayar, 33, were apprehended on Tuesday and will be held in custody for four months to assist the investigation, said Colonel Tran Muu, deputy director of the municipal Department of Police.

Officers launched a probe into credit card theft in the central city after receiving a report from a Hong Kong visitor on November 26.

The victim claimed that someone had cut open her handbag and stolen her three credit cards while she was touring the city that day.

Her cards were later used to purchase different types of goods, she added.

Police were eventually able to track down the two Mongolian men after they used the credits cards to buy jewelry at a gold shop on Hung Vuong Street in Son Tra District.

At the police station, the suspects admitted they had spent more than VND138 million (US$5,960) on purchases using the credit cards of the Hong Kong tourist.

They added that they were members of a group of ten Mongolian nationals who stay at a tenanted house in Son Tra District.

The group often targets visitors at local attractions and use stolen credit cards to buy valuable objects and resell them in their home country.

The gang is also capable of forging ID papers and passports in order to facilitate their schemes.

Naranbat and Shinebayar said they had previously pickpocketed another tourist, forged the victim’s passport, and purchased VND98 million ($4,232) worth of gold jewelry.

Officers have expanded their investigation and are hunting for other suspects in the ring.

In mid-November, police in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 detained a group of six Mongolian pickpockets who targeted foreigners in the city’s downtown area.

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