Thieves targeting foreigners in Saigon backpackers' area busted
Four men have been arrested in Ho Chi Minh City for allegedly stealing from foreigners in a park in the backpackers' area, police said.
Pham Thanh Tai, 21, and Hoang Ngoc Phu, 23, were caught by the Dist. 1 police of at 1.30 a.m. when they were riding near the 23/9 Park.
They were keeping a backpack which was found to belong to a 69-year-old Australian national.
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| Four suspected thieves targeting foreigners in a photo provided by the police |
They told the police they had stolen the backpack, which contained VND3.9 million and some personal belongings, an hour earlier.
Phu's wife, identified only as Nhu, had made friends with the victim and lured him to the park, they said. Nhu is still at large.
The police later arrested two other accomplices, Dang Lam Phi and Pham Duy Quang, both 30.
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| The suspects are accused of stealing a backpack of a 69-year-old Australian national |
The duo confessed to snatching a smartphone from an unidentified foreign tourist on July 1, also in the 23/9 Park.
They also admitted to helping Tai escape a few days before by attacking a pursuing victim in the same park.
The police said they are investigating further.
