21-7-2024 (HANOI) A Singaporean couple has been handed down significant jail sentences in Vietnam after being found guilty of a brazen theft spree targeting luxury handbags across multiple stores in Ho Chi Minh City. The audacious crime, which unfolded over four days in August 2023, has garnered widespread attention and raised questions about the motivations behind the couple’s actions.
The perpetrators, identified as 42-year-old Shawn Han Sxe Siang and his 25-year-old partner, Loh Si Yu, were arrested on August 9th, 2023, after security personnel at the Union Square mall apprehended them in the act of stealing a Louis Vuitton handbag valued at a staggering 36 million Vietnamese dong (approximately S$1,912).
According to reports from Vietnam’s Tuoi Tre News, the couple’s crime spree commenced on August 6th, the day of their arrival in Ho Chi Minh City. Their first target was a Marc Jacobs store located in the city’s downtown area, where Loh allegedly distracted shop assistants with a barrage of questions while Han made off with a handbag worth 6 million dong (S$319).
Emboldened by their initial success, the duo employed the same modus operandi in subsequent thefts across various malls throughout the city over the following three days. Their haul grew to include an array of luxury handbags from renowned brands such as Marc Jacobs, Gucci Deco, and Louis Vuitton.
A search of the couple’s hotel room following their arrest yielded a staggering cache of seven stolen luxury handbags, collectively valued at a whopping 102 million dong (approximately S$5,400). Authorities revealed that the couple had intended to smuggle the ill-gotten goods back to Singapore for resale, presumably to profit from their criminal endeavors.
During their trial, Han and Loh expressed remorse for their actions and issued apologies to the court. In a bid to mitigate their sentences, the couple cited challenging living conditions in Singapore as the driving force behind their decision to embark on the theft spree. Investigators revealed that both individuals were degree holders, with Han formerly employed as an engineer and Loh working as a salesperson.
Despite their pleas for leniency, citing a desire to return to their families in Singapore, the Vietnamese court handed down significant sentences. Shawn Han Sxe Siang, who admitted to the crimes in court, was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison, while Loh Si Yu received a 3-year jail term. Loh had initially claimed that her conversations with shop staff were merely attempts to gather information, rather than deliberate distractions to facilitate the thefts.
