A Russian man led a criminal gang in Vietnam that lured Russian-speaking tourists into hotel rooms and beat them for money, according to a report by the Russian Telegram-based outlet Baza. Baza is known for covering crime and law enforcement cases, often drawing on police or victim accounts.
At least five attacks have been linked to the gang so far, all of them in the coastal city of Nha Trang. Nha Trang, on Vietnam's south-central coast, is one of the country's best-known beach resorts and has long drawn Russian-speaking tourists.
Kazakhstani victim drugged and robbed
One victim was a citizen of Kazakhstan. His wife said that she and her husband had been followed for several days after receiving payment for selling a moped. The attackers later lured the man into a hotel room, held a knife to his throat and forced him to swallow a dangerous dose of sleeping pills.
The man lost consciousness, and the attackers tied him up, searched the room and stole $5,000, worth roughly 416,000 rubles, Baza reported.
Fingerprints lead police to suspects
Police traced the attackers through fingerprints left at the scenes. Two Thai nationals identified in the investigation had already flown to Bangkok by the time officers caught up with them.
A third suspect, described as the leader of the group, turned out to be Russian. He had introduced himself to victims as "Lev," but documents identified him as Alexei L. He is believed to still be in Nha Trang and has been placed on a wanted list, according to the report.
Russian tourists also targeted
Among the gang's victims were three Russian tourists, who were lured to a hotel and robbed using the same method. The attackers reportedly threatened them with violence if they went to the police, but one of the men filed a report with authorities anyway.
