Cau Giay Ward Police announced on 11/3 that they have arrested Tran Quang Truong, 24, from Ninh Binh province, for property theft. Truong is accused of breaking into a home on Khuc Thua Du street, stealing a safe containing gold and jewelry valued at approximately 1 billion VND.

Tran Quang Truong reenacts the crime. Photo: Linh Dan

According to police, Truong was heavily in debt and unemployed. He traveled from Ninh Binh to Hanoi seeking work and was renting a room in Cau Giay Ward. At noon on 9/3, he spotted a 70-year-old woman's house on Khuc Thua Du street with lights off and no one home, prompting his plan to steal.

Truong gained entry by climbing from the rooftop of his rented lodging to the victim's house, using a clothes hanger to unlatch a door. Inside, he located a safe in the homeowner's bedroom. He then carried the safe to the rooftop and subsequently to his own rented room next door. There, he used a metal cutter to break open the safe, taking 5,2 taels of gold and other jewelry.

With the stolen goods, Truong sold a 2-chi gold ring for over 34 million VND, using the proceeds to pay off debts and redeem his pawned motorbike. That same evening, the homeowner discovered the safe missing and reported the theft to the police.

The gold stolen from the safe. Photo: Linh Dan

On 10/3, Truong was summoned for questioning by police upon his return to his rented room. During the investigation, authorities successfully recovered all the stolen gold and jewelry.