3 Vietnamese Men, Woman Arrested; 423 Thefts of Cash, Goods from Houses in 4 Prefectures

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:16 JST, January 16, 2025

The Gunma Prefectural Police announced on Wednesday that it had wrapped up all investigations into the theft case from vacant houses in four prefectures – Gunma, Saitama, Tochigi and Niigata – by three Vietnamese men and woman between September 2023 and July 2024.

A 27-year-old man, a 30-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of theft and other charges. The total number of incidents in the four prefectures was 423, with the total amount of stolen money and goods worth approximately 28.72 million yen.

The largest number of incidents occurred in Gunma Prefecture, with 109 in Maebashi, 105 in Takasaki and 35 in Isesaki.

According to the police, the three are suspected of breaking into empty houses and stealing cash and goods such as rings. The two men broke into houses while driving around residential areas at night in a woman’s car.

They sent money to their families and used it by themselves for living expenses. Some of the stolen goods were sold to buyers through an app.