2 Vietnamese Arrested by Tokyo Police after Burglary Spree

Tokyo, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police have arrested two Vietnamese nationals on suspicion of breaking into a home in central Japan and stealing cash. The arrestees include Ha Ngoc Tu, 26, a resident of the city of Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan, the Metropolitan Police Department said Tuesday. Security camera footage and other evidence helped identify the suspects, the police said. Police suspect that the two were involved in a total of about 100 burglary cases in 11 prefectures. The two Vietnamese were arrested for allegedly breaking into the home of a man in his 60s in the city of Sanjo in Niigata Prefecture at around 3 p.m. on Oct. 23 last year and stealing 100,000 yen in cash. In the series of burglary cases, they are suspected to have targeted houses whose residents are away, breaking windows to gain entry. Stolen jewelry and tools, such as screwdrivers believed to have been used in the break-ins, were seized from places including the residence of Tu. Police believe that the two are part of a four-member group that carried out the string of burglaries in the 11 prefectures–Tokyo, Fukushima in northeastern Japan, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama and Chiba in eastern Japan, and Niigata, Yamanashi, Nagano and Shizuoka in central Japan–in and after June last year. Assets totaling about 38 million yen were stolen in the cases. Authorities are searching for the other two suspects. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]