The two suspects usually scouted local streets and stole smartphones and valuable belongings from commuters and residents
Police in Ho Chi Minh City confirmed on Saturday they had arrested two men for snatching phones from multiple commuters in the city.
The suspects are Vo Cu Ngoc Bao, 33, from District 12, and Dang Hoai An, 31, from Binh Chanh District.
According to preliminary investigation, Bao carried An on a motorbike as they scouted multiple streets on the morning of June 1.
At around 10:30 am, the two targeted a motorcyclist on Le Trong Street in Son Ky Ward, Tan Phu District and snatched an iPhone 11 from the rider.
At 10:50 am the same day, Bao and An snatched an iPhone 12 from a young man as he was sitting on the sidewalk of Hien Vuong Street in Phu Thanh Ward, Tan Phu District.
They later sold the two devices for VND27.5 million (US$1,200).
After the incidents were reported, officers managed to apprehend the two suspects on June 4.
At the police station, Bao and An said they usually scouted local streets and stole smartphones and valuable belongings from commuters and residents.
To avoid suspicion and pocket more money, they often renewed the stolen phones before selling them.
Police records also showed that the two men are drug addicts who had been convicted of robbery several times.
