VI
EN
On the evening of July 3rd, the Da Lat City Police (Lam Dong province) announced that they had just dismantled a pickpocketing gang consisting of 6 suspects from Dong Nai province who came to Da Lat to steal wallets and phones from tourists at tourist attractions.
Le Thi Thu Ba reenacts the theft of a tourist's wallet at a specialty shop.
Earlier, on the afternoon of July 2nd, the Da Lat City Police continuously received reports of many tourists losing their phones and wallets while sightseeing in Da Lat. Under the direction of the Lam Dong Provincial Police and the Da Lat City Police, from noon on July 2nd, dozens of undercover detectives from the Criminal Police Team and the Economic Police Team (Da Lat City Police) were mobilized, disguised, to monitor suspicious individuals in tourist areas and attractions.
In just two days, the gang of thieves stole dozens of mobile phones from tourists.
Meanwhile, the police in the wards receive reports, gather information describing the identities of the suspicious individuals from the victims, and coordinate with tourist areas and shop owners to review security camera footage to identify potential suspects.
Based on intelligence gathered, on the evening of July 2nd, near the City Flower Garden area, a criminal investigation team caught Phan Van Lam (48 years old, residing in Dong Nai) red-handed as he was receiving a phone and wallet from his fellow thieves in the group.
Shortly afterwards, other reconnaissance teams simultaneously arrested five other suspects in the pickpocketing group: Le Thi Bach Tuyet (44 years old), Le Thi Thu Ba (50 years old), Thai Van Hiep (48 years old), Hoang Anh Duy (59 years old), and Le Thanh Hai (37 years old), all residing in Dong Nai province.
Le Thi Bach Tuyet, the mastermind behind the theft of tourists' belongings.
Through investigation, the Da Lat police identified Thu Ba, Bach Tuyet, and Hiep as the three suspects who masterminded and led the group of thieves. The police determined that most of this group of thieves had previous convictions related to theft and drug-related crimes.
According to initial statements, starting on July 1st, this group traveled from Thong Nhat district (Dong Nai province) to Da Lat to "ply their trade" by blending into tourist attractions and shops crowded with visitors to pickpocket and snatch mobile phones from tourists.
The group's plan was that Thu Ba and Bach Tuyet would pose as tourists, looking for "prey" and approaching them to steal their belongings. Hiep was tasked with standing nearby to keep watch and handle any "situation" if they were discovered. Duy would receive the stolen goods from the tourists and give them to Lam for safekeeping. Hai's job was to drive and observe the situation.
On July 1st and 2nd alone, this gang of thieves committed dozens of thefts of wallets and phones. The evidence seized by the police included: 1 car, 26 mobile phones, 1 handbag, and 50 million VND found on the suspects.
Currently, the Da Lat City Police are continuing to investigate and expand the case. The police urge anyone who has been a victim of this theft gang to come to the police station to report the incident as soon as possible so that it can be resolved.
