Russian tourist arrested for stealing Rolex and Louis Vuitton from Hoi An resort

DA NANG, Vietnam – Police in Vietnam's central city of Da Nang have arrested a 39-year-old Russian woman for breaking into a Hoi An beach resort and stealing a Rolex watch and other valuables worth more than 500 million Vietnamese dong (approximately $19,000) from a Saudi Arabian guest, with authorities detaining E. L. on charges of property theft. According to the Da Nang Police Criminal Investigation Division, Lugai walked from An Bang Beach near Hoi An Ancient Town to an adjoining villa complex at a five-star resort in Dien Ban Dong Ward early on August 8, allegedly testing the doors of several villas with the intention of committing a burglary before discovering that Villa V67 was unlocked and entering the property to take two handbags spotted on a living room table.

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The victim, 48-year-old A. K. A.a, later filed a police report detailing the stolen property, which included a Rolex watch, a Louis Vuitton shoulder bag, Bulgari sunglasses, and a Hapas handbag, with a combined estimated value exceeding 500 million dong. E. L. reportedly hid the stolen goods before taking a vehicle into central Da Nang to find a buyer, as Da Nang criminal police coordinated with local authorities to examine the crime scene, review surveillance footage, and conduct background checks on dozens of foreign nationals in the area deemed suspicious.

Around 9:30 p.m. on August 9, officers located and arrested the Russian woman at a hotel on Yen Bai Street in Hai Chau Ward, where she was allegedly hiding, and successfully recovered all of the stolen luxury items. During questioning, she told investigators she had entered Vietnam on July 29 and had been staying in the An Bang Beach area, confessing to the crime and stating that she resorted to stealing after running out of money and failing to find employment.

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The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to examine the full circumstances surrounding the burglary, with the Russian national now facing prosecution under Vietnamese law for property theft. The case has drawn attention to security measures at luxury resorts in the Hoi An and Da Nang area, particularly during the peak tourist season when large numbers of international visitors frequent the region's coastal properties.