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The People’s Procuratorate of Hanoi has charged a Sri Lankan man under Article 173(1) of the Penal Code with stealing property.
According to the report, 42-year-old Aruna Rukshan Rajapakshage entered Vietnam through Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on March 1, 2020 and traveled to various places across the country in search of employment.
On October 11, 2022, he roamed the streets of Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem district, intent on stealing other people’s property. At around 8 PM that day, Rajapakshage entered the Annam restaurant at 17 Hang Muoi Street, Ly Thai To Ward, where he found a black leather handbag containing VND 13 million (USD 545). He stole the bag and fled.
When Nguyen Dieu Linh, a restaurant employee and owner of the bag, noticed the theft, she immediately called for help. The Sri Lankan man was later arrested with the help of local residents and handed over to the police of the Ly Thai To district. Nguyen Dieu Linh retrieved her bag and asked the local authorities to handle the case properly.
Vietnamese often turn a blind eye to the many ignorant and inappropriate things foreigners do in their country, but the authorities will not hesitate to punish those they see as a threat to social norms and/or the existing power structure.
