On 18/7, 31-year-old Ngo Vo Hao was detained by Dien Khanh Commune Police on suspicion of fraud and property theft.

Three days prior, a 44-year-old woman drove her five-seater car to a carwash in Phu Loc Dong 3 hamlet, Dien Khanh commune. She left the car with the staff and returned home.

Ngo Vo Hao at the time of his arrest. Photo: Dien Khanh Commune Police

Ngo Vo Hao at the time of his arrest. Photo: Dien Khanh Commune Police

An hour later, when she returned, her car was gone. The carwash staff told her a young man, claiming to be a relative, had paid and driven the car away.

Dien Khanh Commune Police tracked down the car within two hours, locating it at Hao's home in a coconut grove in the same commune. Hao was preparing to leave to sell the car.

At the police station, Hao confessed he needed money for "entertainment" and had been observing customers at the carwash. Seeing the 44-year-old woman leave, he seized the opportunity to steal her car.

Bui Toan