Danang police said on August 16 that they had arrested Enola Lugai, 39, a foreign national suspected of stealing high-value property.
Enola Lugai and the seized items at the police station (Photo: Danang Police).
Police received a report on August 8 about a theft at a hotel in a ward in the city. The victim was a 50-year-old foreign tourist.
The stolen items included a Rolex watch, a Louis Vuitton shoulder bag, Bulgari sunglasses and a Hapas handbag, with a combined value of more than VND 500 million (USD 18,900).
After more than a day of investigation, police identified Lugai as a suspect at about 9.30 pm on August 9. She was staying at a hotel on Yen Bai Street in Hai Chau Ward and was taken to the police station for questioning.
Lugai admitted to the theft, according to police. She told investigators that she had previously entered Vietnam and lived in the Hoi An area.
She entered Vietnam again on July 29 and travelled to Danang, staying near An Bang Beach.
Without a job and having run out of money, Lugai allegedly decided to look for places where property could be stolen.
On the evening of August 7, she went to a resort in Ha My Dong A Quarter, Dien Ban Dong Ward, looking for potential targets.
At about 2 am on August 8, she allegedly walked to the hotel and entered several unlocked villas in search of valuables.
Police said Lugai found that Villa V67 was unlocked. Two handbags had been left unattended on a table in the living room, and she allegedly took both before leaving the villa.
Later that morning, she hired a vehicle to travel to central Danang, where she allegedly sought to evade detection and sell the stolen property.
Police have recovered the stolen valuables and are continuing to gather evidence before handling the case in accordance with Vietnamese law.