In an unbelievable but true story, a 28-year-old man residing in central Quảng Nam’s Hội An managed to steal 430 taels of gold – worth over VNĐ10 billion (US$430,860) – from a jewellery shop over the past six years without being noticed.

Taking advantage of the shop owner’s trust, Nguyễn Đức Tuấn stole a little gold each day and hid it.

The proverb “beggars’ bags are bottomless” proved to be true for him.

On January 15, when Tuấn and his brother tried to sell more than 230 taels of gold jewellery including rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings, their action was so suspicious that the buyer informed local police.

When asked about the origin of the gold, valued at more than VNĐ5 billion ($215,430), he told the police his ancestor left it for him. Later, he changed his story and said he picked it up on the road by chance. Searching his house, police found an additional 200 taels of gold.

He is now in custody for further investigation.

Many people are curious how rich the shop owner was that she did not know she had lost hundreds of taels of gold. Some even raised the possibility that she did notice but chose not to inform the police for some reason.

It should be noted that Tuấn stopped working in the shop in July last year.

Local residents were surprised by his sudden wealth.

Once in financial difficulty, Tuấn’s family has become well off. He built a new house, bought a car and invested billions of đồng in expanding tourism businesses.

After being found out, it’s time for Tuấn to reflect on his bad behaviour.