Man jailed for snatching phones from foreign tourists

By Thanh Lam   July 14, 2020 | 03:00 am PT
Man jailed for snatching phones from foreign tourists
Foreign tourists walk near the Hoan Kiem Lake in downtown Hanoi, 2019. Photo by AFP.
A Hanoi court on Monday sentenced a man to five years in jail for snatching two iPhones from Taiwanese and Danish tourists last year.

Vu Van Doan, 45, who lives in Hoan Kiem District and had no stable job, was charged with property theft and admitted his crime to the court. He claimed he "didn't think it through."

According to the indictment, Doan, riding a motorbike, snatched an iPhone from a Taiwanese woman at 5:30 a.m. on September 15 last year at the Phung Hung and Ha Trung intersection.

Five days later, he carried out a similar act on Hang Bong Street, this time robbing a Danish man.

Authorities said the total value of both iPhones was up to VND30 million ($1,300) but that Doan had sold them for only VND5.5 million ($238).

On September 22, Doan was arrested while ‘hunting prey’ on his motorbike. Investigators said he always targeted foreign tourists.

Hanoi welcomed over seven million foreigners last year, a 17 percent rise, according to official statistics from the city's tourism department, though street crime, air pollution and theft have tarnished its image.

 
 
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