Man poses as monk, robs jewelry store

Nguyen Van Sy, 25, was arrested by police of Tuy Phuoc District for robbery on Tuesday. However, Huynh Bao Nguyen, vice director of the police department of Binh Dinh, said authorities suspected that the man was "abnormal."

Sy had since been taken to a psychiatric assessment.

On Aug. 26, Sy traveled 170 km from Dak Lak Province in the Central Highlands to a pagoda in Binh Dinh's Tuy Phuoc District to perform a ceremony. At the site, he asked someone to shave off his head. However, Sy showed several abnormal signs, and so the pagoda took him to National Highway 19 to catch a ride home.

Sy did not return to Dak Lak. On Tuesday, as he was walking along the National Highway 1A section running through Dieu Tri Town while dressed as a monk, he entered the gold shop on Tran Phu Street, broke glass cabinets, stole several pieces of jewelry, and then ran away.

The incident happened in seconds. The shop owner and others nearby managed to incapacitate Sy and reclaim the stolen goods.