A man has been arrested for allegedly stealing 2,000 euros (US$2,175) from a French tourist’s backpack while working at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City’s downtown District 1.
Nguyen Anh Phong, 37, was detained by District 1 police on Friday and is under investigation for theft.
According to the investigation, Frenchman Aurellien Raphael, 42, checked into a hotel on Thu Khoa Huan Street on Oct. 23.
Upon returning from a city tour, he discovered that 2,000 euros, which he had stored in two envelopes inside his backpack, was missing from his room.
Unsure of how to handle the situation, he initially hesitated to report it and only decided to inform the police the following day.
During their investigation, police reviewed surveillance footage and checked the identities of relevant individuals, identifying Phong as the prime suspect.
Nguyen Anh Phong at a police station in HCMC’s District 1. Photo courtesy of police |
At the police station, Phong confessed to the theft, admitting he was a probationary cleaning staff member at the hotel.
On the day of the incident, he received access to the tourist’s room for cleaning, found the money in the backpack, and took 2,000 euros.
Phong then exchanged the stolen foreign currency at three jewelry shops in the city, receiving over VND54 million in cash.
The shop owners then voluntarily returned the money to the police as evidence.
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Aurellien Raphael (L) receives money stolen from his bag from a police officer in HCMC. Photo by Read/Nhat Vy |
District 1 police returned the stolen money to Raphael on Thursday.
“In the coming period, we will continue to take strong action against property crimes to promote HCMC as a safe and welcoming destination for tourists,” a District 1 police representative said.
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