Police in Hanoi have arrested a man shortly after he stole nine cellphones from visitors at two local religious facilities on Monday, the second day of the 2023 Lunar New Year.

The thief, 30-year-old Chu Van Dung, was detained at 4:00 pm on Monday afternoon, for an investigation into the offense of theft, police in Hanoi’s Tay Ho District said on Tuesday.  

The arrest was made only about two hours after a woman reported to Tay Ho police that she had an iPhone 14 Pro Max, valued at about VND37 million (US$1,570), stolen during her visit to Tran Quoc Pagoda in Tay Ho on Monday.

After launching a probe, police officers detected Dung as a suspect when he was traveling on a motorbike on a street in the district.

They pulled him over for a check and found nine smartphones, including the one reported by the woman, in a handbag hidden in the trunk of his bike.

Dung confessed that he had stolen them from visitors to the pagoda and Tay Ho Temple, a place of worship dedicated to the Mother Goddess Lieu Hanh, also located in the district.

He elaborated that during his visit to Tran Quoc Pagoda, he saw many visitors leave their phones in easy-to-access spots in their handbags, backpacks, and overcoats.

He pickpocketed them given the crowding at the pagoda.

After Dung’s arrest, the district police have received three more reports about the loss of three more cellphones, including two at Tran Quoc Pagoda and Tay Ho Temple.

Police officers called for people who lost their phones at the two religious facilities to soon report their cases.

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