A man and woman have been sentenced to a combined nine years in prison for pickpocketing passengers at a busy bus station in Ho Chi Minh City.

The People’s Court in Thu Duc District on Saturday tried Quach Chinh Nhan, 48, and Duong Thi Sen, 55, both charged for theft.

Nhan and Sen were members of two separate gangs of pickpockets who targeted passengers at a bus station near Suoi Tien Theme Park, which lies at the border of District 9 and Thu Duc District.

Nhan had been convicted of theft for multiple times and sent to jail for two years for the crimes.

After finishing his prison term, Nhan colluded with several other suspects to form a pickpocket gang at the bus station.

At the trial, Nhan said he was a drug addict and committed the offense to earn money for personal purposes.

From September 24 to October 13, 2019, Nhan and his accessories stole from many bus passengers in the area.

Police have only been able to identify the victims in three cases, with stolen property totaling over VND20 million (US$860).

Meanwhile, Sen and her accomplice, Bui Van Hien, who still remains at large, stole the belongings of many bus goers worth about VND19 million ($820) from September 28 to October 5, 2019.

Sen, however, denied knowing Hien during the trial.

The woman had previously served seven years and six months in prison after being convicted of theft twice.

At the end of their trial, the court decided to sentence Nhan to five years and six months in prison and Sen to three years and six months behind bars.

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