A gang of six Vietnamese people has been accused of shoplifting goods worth US$114,000 from drug stores throughout Japan.
A 30-year-old woman, said to be a member of the group, reportedly committed 38 acts of shoplifting and stole 2,229 items valued at US$58,600 in Fukui, Mie and Aichi prefectures in 2018, the VN Express reported, citing details reportedly from a trial in the Fukuoka District Court.
The authorities said the woman primarily stole cosmetics, medicine and clothing. The woman — who worked as a technical trainee — would reportedly enter stores and stuff a large shoulder bag with up to 150 goods in one run.
She is believed to be a part of a gang with five other Vietnamese nationals who also worked as technical trainees in Japan. The five men were aged between 24 and 28.
The six of gang members are suspected to have stolen items worth about US$114,000 in eight prefectures. These items were allegedly sold to Vietnamese people via social media.
The woman was also found to have overstayed her technical trainee visa, which will cause her to be deported once the trial is over.