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Gang of 8 Vietnamese jailed for stealing from Singapore shops
Published on Oct 10, 2011
By Khushwant Singh
Five Vietnamese women returned here in mid August hoping to repeat a successful stealing spree the month before. This time around, the group, now comprising three men, were not as lucky.
All eight of them were jailed between six months and 18 months on Monday. Aged from 17 to 47 years, they had pleaded guilty to charges of theft of cash, cellphones and other items, amounting to more than $13,000. In July, they got away with nearly $3,000 in loot.
A district court heard that while the other accomplices would distract the sales staff of the shop with queries about the products, up to three members would sneak behind the counter and steal the possessions of the shop's employees.
One member of the gang would be stationed outside the shop to receive the stolen items.
Police studied the surveillance video from these shops, and seven of the gang were arrested inside an unspecified shop shortly.
The eighth accomplice, Nguyen Van Hai, 44, who was stationed outside, managed to escape. But not for long.
Read the full story in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.
