On 1/10, Dak Lak Provincial Police announced the temporary detention of Ha Van Yen, 38; Ngo Van Hoa, 37; and Nguyen Thi Thanh, 40, all residing in Gia Lai, for investigation into property theft.

According to the investigation, on the night of 16/2 to early 17/2, Lunar New Year's Eve, Thanh drove a car carrying Yen and Hoa to a pagoda in Krong Bong commune. At that time, the pagoda was holding a ceremony in its main hall.

Hoa stood guard outside while Yen broke into the abbot's bedroom, prying open a wooden cabinet and taking assets valued at approximately 3.5 billion VND. The group then got into the car and drove back to Gia Lai via National Highway 14C.

Tracing the suspects proved challenging because the pagoda is in a remote area, and few people were present at the time of the incident. The only camera on the premises lacked a memory card, so it did not record any images, and the crime scene had few traces.

According to police, Yen has three prior convictions for property theft, and Hoa has one conviction for the same crime. After this incident, Yen used the stolen money to purchase a Ford Raptor.

Expanding the investigation, the three individuals confessed to committing an additional 17 thefts at pagodas in Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Quang Ngai, and Dong Nai, with the total value of stolen assets exceeding 4 billion VND.

Dak Lak Provincial Police are continuing their investigation into the case.

Tran Hoa