Police Raid Suspected Bases of Vietnamese Thieves in Japan

Tokyo, Nov. 27 (Jiji Press)--Japanese police on Wednesday searched four sites allegedly used as bases for goods shoplifted by a group of Vietnamese thieves.

The stolen items are believed to have been sent from the suspected bases in prefectures including Saitama and Chiba, both neighboring Tokyo, to Vietnam for resale in the Southeast Asian nation.

The sites searched by the joint investigation headquarters set up by the police departments of five prefectures--Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, also a Tokyo neighbor, and Gifu in central Japan--for alleged violations of the law against organized crimes included a house and a vacant store.

The investigation headquarters will soon put a man and a woman, both believed to be leaders of the group, on the international wanted list on suspicion of theft.

According to sources including the headquarters, cases of theft allegedly committed by the group have been confirmed since May, mainly in the Kanto eastern Japan region, where Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa as well as Tokyo are located. The group is believed to have dozens of members.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]