Man steals friend's 1.4 billion VND Rolex, then joins victim in search for "culprit"

Nguyen Van Thanh Cong stole a Rolex valued at over 1.4 billion VND from his housemate, then accompanied the victim to a coffee shop to review surveillance footage in search of the "thief".

On 16/10, Nguyen Van Thanh Cong, 30, residing in Buon Ma Thuot ward, was temporarily detained by Dak Lak Provincial Police for investigation into property theft.

Nguyen Van Thanh Cong broke into his friend's room to steal a 1.4 billion VND Rolex watch. Photo: Ngoc Oanh

According to the investigation, in August, Cong and six friends rented a house on Mai Thi Luu street, Ea Kao ward, for living and working. The theft occurred at this residence.

Around 3 a.m. on 3/10, Cong entered his 29-year-old friend's room, intending to take the Rolex. He initially waited on a second-floor sofa after seeing lights on downstairs and people moving about. About 30 minutes later, once the downstairs lights were off, he snuck into the room, took the watch, and hid it inside the cover of his motorcycle's fuel tank before returning to sleep.

That same morning, upon discovering his property missing, the friend asked Cong to go to a coffee shop across the street to check surveillance cameras for the culprit. Cong accompanied him, but they found no strangers had snuck into the house. This act of deception was part of Cong's attempt to evade suspicion.

Afterward, Cong used the excuse of bringing a charger to his father and drove to a hospital. At the parking lot, he retrieved the watch from its hiding spot and placed it into a spectacle case. On his way back, he stopped again, removed the front fairing of his motorcycle, and concealed the case inside.