Man detained for robbery of Russian diplomat

Police in Ho Chi Minh City have arrested a man suspected of robbing a Russian diplomat in February.

Vo Ngoc Phi is arrested at his home in Long An Province. Photo by Tintuc

Vo Ngoc Phi, 27, was arrested at his home in Can Giuoc District in the Mekong Delta province of Long An, police said on Sunday.

Phi is suspected to have snatched a gold chain from the neck of Dmitrii Alekseev, an official at the Russian Consulate General’s office, on February 17.

The man is seen in the clip snatching a chain from the Russian diplomat on February 17. Photo by tintuc

The Russian diplomat came to report the robbery to police in District 3, saying that he was robbed while walking with a friend on Ba Huyen Thanh Quan Street in District 3 on the way to his office.

The consulate’s CCTV camera footage given by the diplomat showed a man with a face mask driving a motorbike snatching the chain from the Russian diplomat and then speeding off.

Phi had been taken to Ho Chi Minh City for questioning.