Vietnam police hunt for Pakistani suspect in street robbery

A search warrant has been issued for Murtaza, 27, the alleged leader behind the robbery occurring on July 9, officers said on July 31.

P.T.N.P., 27, was putting pillows and blankets for sale on Bui Huu Nghia Bridge in Binh Thanh District that day when a car approached her, police said in the case file.

Two foreign women then got off the vehicle and came to look at the items P. was selling.

A few minutes later, a foreign man left the car to join the women in choosing the goods, and eventually pointed at a pillowcase, signaling he wanted to buy it.

P. received a VND500,000 (US$23) banknote from the foreign man, and took out a wad of money as change.

The man attempted to snatch the money, but P. could pull it back. The three foreigners then rushed back to the car and fled.

P. thought she had managed to keep her money safe. But checking, she was shocked to learn that VND17 million (US$782) had gone, apparently because the foreign man had managed to steal it without her knowledge.

P. then used her motorcycle to chase the foreigners, while shouting for help.

The vendor managed to catch foreigners in front of Ba Chieu Market, when some of the foreigners threw a stack of money through a car window to the ground.

The vehicle then ran away when P. was picking up the banknotes, with the help of some passers-by.

P. only recovered VND3.2 million (US$147.2), with the foreigner allegedly taking away VND13.8 million.

When P. was recovering her money, a couple of passers-by, who witnessed the incident, chased after the car, while notifying a patrol police team, according to Phap Luat TP. Ho Chi Minh (Ho Chi Minh City Law) newspaper.

The officers immediately ran after the car.

When they reached Pho Quang Street in Tan Binh District, the four foreigners left the vehicle and ran away on foot.

The police team seized the car and handed it over to the District 1 police, who later confirmed that the vehicle is owned by Tan Binh-based Viet Linh Co., which had leased it to a foreign man named Murtaza, according to the newspaper.

When looking at a photo of the car’s lessee, P. confirmed that it was the one who stole her money.

The case was later transferred to the city police for handling.

Murtaza and three other Pakistanis arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on June 1, 2015 and stayed in a hotel in District 7, police said, citing initial investigation results.

All the four left the hotel on June 12 without paying room charges, the hotel reported to the police.