Four Vietnamese nationals have been arrested and taken to court after allegedly committing a long series of robberies at UNIQLO and other clothing stores across Japan, according to Fukuoka Prefectural Police.
Police said the four said they had traveled to Japan to steal goods, which they then planned to sell on a flea market app in Vietnam.
Police confirmed a total of 66 such robberies in five years from December 2018 in eight prefectures, including Fukuoka, Tokyo and the Kansai region. A total of 5,237 items totaling 19.7 million yen are believed to have been stolen. Of these 66 cases, police have taken three cases to court.
Prefectural police have obtained an arrest warrant for the alleged leader of the theft suspect group, suggesting that the stolen goods will be sold in Vietnam, where UNIQLO products are popular.
The group is believed to have chosen stores in Japan because of a recent crackdown on robberies in Vietnam. Police reported that members of the group used a special bag that prevented alarms from being triggered by stolen goods.
According to police, the 38-year-old defendant and three others were arrested on suspicion of diverting 87 items totaling 347,130 yen from a UNIQLO store in Fukuoka Prefecture on Sept. 26 last year. All four were later charged with theft.
