Clues are emerging in the search for the suspect who stole 100 gold bars in Ho Chi Minh City.

The owner of a jewelry store on Ha Huy Giap Street, Thanh Loc Ward, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City, reported that all 108 taels of gold jewelry, worth approximately 4.5 billion VND, that were being prepared for sale on the day of the God of Wealth festival, were stolen in the early morning of January 29th. Due to the serious nature of the crime, the District 12 Police reported the incident to the Ho Chi Minh City Police, coordinating with the Criminal Police Department (PC02) to track down and apprehend the perpetrators.

Believing that the thief may have frequented the area before committing the crime, perhaps even buying and selling gold to study the layout and operating patterns, investigators divided themselves to "examine" the thief's identifying features through security cameras in the gold shop and surrounding area.

On the night of the crime, the suspect, over 30 years old, tall and thin, wearing a long-sleeved jacket, a baseball cap, a face mask, and carrying a large black backpack, climbed a utility pole in front of the gold shop, climbed onto the first-floor balcony, broke through the door, and entered. At that time, the gold shop owner's family was asleep in their rooms. The thief then went down the stairs to the business area on the ground floor and stayed there for quite a while before stealing all the gold.

Pham Van Nu confessed to his actions at the investigative agency. Photo: Nhat Vy

Comparing the thief's characteristics with those of people who had visited the gold shop or been seen in the area, the police found that Pham Van Nu (from Dong Thap province) closely matched the description. Before Tet, he had also been seen near the gold shop several times with a suspicious demeanor. Expanding the investigation, the authorities discovered that the thief's escape coincided with Nu taking a motorbike taxi on National Highway 13, heading towards Binh Duong.

Along with other evidence gathered during the investigation, Colonel Mai Hoang (Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Police) directed PC02 and the District 12 Police to coordinate with Binh Duong province to solve the case.

On the evening of January 30th, after more than a day of investigation, police raided a rented room in Thuan An ward, Binh Duong province, arresting Nu while she was with her lover. During the search of the room, authorities found all of the more than 100 gold bars, the evidence of the crime, hidden on the roof of the bathroom. Nu confessed to the crime.

Some of the tools Nu carried with her to commit the crime. Photo: Nhat Vy

Nu admitted to having a wife and children in his hometown but was still living with his girlfriend. Last November, he broke into the Kim Hung gold shop on Phan Dinh Giot Street, Thuan An town, Binh Duong province, stealing many bracelets, earrings, necklaces, rings, etc. Nu divided the jewelry into smaller portions and sold them to gold shops in the Tan Uyen and Tan Phuoc Khanh areas, earning nearly 800 million VND.

About two weeks ago, Nu planned to rob a gold shop on Ha Huy Giap Street, District 12, because he had previously done business there, knew there were no security guards, and the location was easy to break into. A few days before Tet, he repeatedly visited the area around the gold shop to study the shop's operating procedures and the daily routines of the family members.

After stealing over 100 gold bars, Nu walked to the nearby train station intersection to catch a motorbike taxi back to his rented room in Binh Duong, where he hid the gold to sell it later, but was arrested. He claimed his girlfriend was unaware of the two thefts.

Initially, investigators determined that Nu acted alone and are continuing to investigate the involvement of the gold shops that purchased the stolen property from the Binh Duong gold shop.