Dak Lak gold shop theft: Tracing car used by 4 foreign nationals

As of Wednesday, authorities were still investigating a case involving a group of foreign nationals suspected of stealing property from the T.V. gold shop in Song Cau Ward, Dak Lak Province of Vietnam's Central Highlands.

At 7:07 am on Tuesday, a foreign man and woman entered the T.V. gold shop.

The man approached the shop owner and struck up a conversation to distract him. 

Meanwhile, the woman secretly approached a gold display cabinet inside the shop, opened it without permission and took three gold bracelets worth more than VND200 million (US$7,700).

After noticing what the woman was doing, the shop owner immediately shouted for help. 

Startled, the woman dropped the gold on the floor before she and the man quickly ran outside.

The two got into a white car bearing license plate 79A-481.XX that was parked across the street from the gold shop and fled the scene. 

About an hour after the theft, the suspects were arrested by authorities.

According to information obtained by Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper, the white car bearing license plate 79A-481.XX was registered on November 6, 2023.

The vehicle is owned by BESPALOV IN VIETNAM Co., Ltd., which is registered at an address on Pho Duc Chinh Street in Bac Nha Trang Ward, Khanh Hoa Province.

Its identification number is 4201947xxx. The vehicle is a passenger car, a KIA MORNING TA, white, with five seats. 

It has engine number G4LAGP03xxxx, chassis number RNYTC51Axxxxxx, a cylinder capacity of 1,248cc, and was manufactured in 2016. 

The vehicle is currently in circulation.

In addition, footage recorded when authorities arrested the group of suspects at kilometer 14+70 on National Route 1D shows that the white car had the word 'VINRENT' displayed on it.

According to Tuoi Tre online newspaper’s findings, VINRENT is the name of a business that rents cars to foreign nationals. 

The business’s fan page lists its address on Pho Duc Chinh Street, Bac Nha Trang Ward.

On the same day, a reporter visited the address but found no sign or other indication that the business was operating there.

Meanwhile, at a coffee shop on Duong Hien Quyen Street in Bac Nha Trang Ward, about 300 meters from the above address, a small advertising sign bearing the name VINRENT and information about car rentals was displayed. 

The sign listed a rental price of VND300,000 ($11.55) per day.

We contacted VINRENT at its publicly listed phone number to ask about the matter. 

However, the man who answered said he could not provide any information because authorities had instructed the business not to do so. He also said the company had recently changed its headquarters.

In addition, the business’s fan page has published an official statement regarding the case involving the foreign nationals who stole from the gold shop in Dak Lak. 

The business confirmed that the car involved was rented out by the company and that it was currently cooperating with authorities in the investigation.

Meanwhile, data from the National Business Registration Portal under the Ministry of Finance shows that the legal representative of BESPALOV IN VIETNAM Co., Ltd. is a foreign national. 

The company’s registered headquarters is in the My Gia urban area, Nam Nha Trang Ward, Khanh Hoa province, and its business status is listed as active.

A reporter visited the above address but was unable to meet anyone connected to the company. 

The property appeared to be a three-story house with a sign bearing the company’s name outside.