Japan Today
crime

7 Vietnamese arrested for stealing cosmetics, health products over 4 years

16 Comments

Nara prefectural police said Saturday they have arrested 7 Vietnamese nationals for stealing health food supplements and cosmetics and then reselling them in Vietnam.

According to police, the gang, led by a 37-year-old man, shoplifted items from drugstores and sporting goods shops in at least 18 prefectures on 247 occasions between January 2015 and February this year, Sankei Shimbun reported. The total value of stolen products is estimated at 24.5 million yen, police said.

Police said the seven suspects had come to Japan either as exchange students or as part of a training program for foreign workers.

Police said they are investigating the method by which the stolen items were resold in Vietnam. The leader of the gang was quoted by police as saying he wanted money for living expenses.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

16 Comments
Login to comment

All will probably get slaps on the wrist and released soon enough.

-9 ( +5 / -14 )

18 prefectures, that's a lot of ground to go shoplifting around. No wonder it took the authorities 4 years to to tracked them. But what I'm baffled about is, they averaged almost 100,000 yen per heist and the store managers didn't notice that during the days' closing account. Assuming they did, but did not bother to check their surveillance cameras. What's more, 247 stores in roughly 3 yrs. and 9 mos., that's once every 6 days targeting drugstores to steal. It's a pattern and lots of complaints, I think the authorities missed big time here.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

BTW, Hope everyone was safe and sound who lives around the affected areas during this past typhoon 19 named Hagibis.

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

BTW, Hope everyone was safe and sound who lives around the affected areas during this past typhoon 19 named Hagibis.

I am pertaining to the regulars in these forums to whom I am aware of and not to the general public. In case I was misunderstood.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

I'm baffled about is, they averaged almost 100,000 yen per heist and the store managers didn't notice that during the days' closing account. Assuming they did, but did not bother to check their surveillance cameras. What's more, 247 stores in roughly 3 yrs. and 9 mos., that's once every 6 days targeting drugstores to steal.

Most stores don't close their accounts, they way you are thinking. For example, if the Vietnamese stole a bottle of vitamins, the store manager would not catch it, because he does not do sales count at the end of the day. Most chain drug store have computer systems to calculate sales and to control inventory and most systems have margin built into them, so it hard to catch small losses. However, once the margin is exceed than the system sends an alert to the store, which how the Vietnamese got caught.

-8 ( +4 / -12 )

" he wanted money for living expenses."

Same old excuse.

-4 ( +7 / -11 )

"Japan and Vietnam share the same values."

LOL

-9 ( +5 / -14 )

The leader of the gang was quoted by police as saying he wanted money for living expenses.

Thats a lot of living expenses.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@ alwaysspeakingwisdomToday  10:03 am JST

Most chain drug store have computer systems to calculate sales and to control inventory and most systems have margin built into them, so it hard to catch small losses. However, once the margin is exceed

That's a good explanation though it lacks some thought. At the end of the day or before the next opening day, the store persons replenishes their shelves. By then they would have noticed the sales tally and inventory doesn't match. Computer system does the calculations but the actual checking of shelves are done by humans. Also, they order for the new stocks everyday from the distribution centers. Besides, for a store who has an average sales of about 3,000,000 yen/ day, 100,000 yen loss is not a small amount. It 's 03% of total sales gone without any explanations.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

I wonder how many other stores have similar problems but don’t catch the thieves. It seems stores catch old folks alright. Young Vietnamese are faster? Slier?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

They are (some) notorious even in their home country.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

For living expenses above and beyond his means. I am trying to live below my means.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Find them guilty put them in Prison and when they are released send them back to their country.... That's a lot of money that these stores lost just because some foreigners were to lazy to work for there living expenses... It's a shame Japan gave thes people the opportunity to better there live style buy giving them job opportunities in Japan and they pay Japan back by stealing millions of yen in products. Ungrateful pieces of crap.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Looking at it from another angle.

24.5 million is retail value of the stolen items (reported).

That is not too much when divided between the 7 if them over the time invested.

Were they employed at the time or part of the grey/black industry.

Many of them are taken advantage of, either by others in the group or by the corporations that are willing to hire them. If employed, mist do not make a living wage and are willing to do something illegal to put food on the table and stay warm/cool.

Is this a corrupt group or is it a product of the system that needs a major overhaul?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

pwrpeople  Is this a corrupt group or is it a product of the system that needs a major overhaul?

Bottom line is this is a group of ungrateful third world individuals who are thief's and NOT a product of the system.....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites