VietNamNet Bridge - Tokyo Police yesterday said they had arrested Vietnam Airlines’ hostesses Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc for being suspected of transporting stolen goods. Vietnam Airlines later confirmed that it would not cover any person who abuses their missions to break rules.

The Sankei Shimbun and the Yomiuri Shimbun on March 26 reported that Japanese police arrested the 25-year-old Vietnamese stewardess Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc.

Accordingly, this woman was suspected of transporting stolen clothing items, worth about JPY125,000 ($1,200), on a bus dedicated to the flight crew from a hotel in Osaka to the Kansai International Airport last September.

Japanese police also doubt about 20 other employees of Vietnam Airlines who may also involve in the transportation of stolen goods. Of these, five people were questioned, including one pilot and four flight attendants. These people are not currently available in Japan.

According to the Japanese newspapers, hostesses Bich Ngoc intended to smuggle stolen clothes under the order of a 30-year-old Vietnamese woman living in Japan.

Japanese police said Ngoc denied the allegations and asserted that she had no idea that the clothes she transported are stolen goods.

According to this source, since June last year, Bich Ngoc is said to have given some stolen goods worth about JPY3 million (approximately $30,000) for many other aviation employees to receive commission.

In response to the above information, a Vietnam Airlines representative said that from February 27, the airlines took the initiative to contact the Tokyo police agency to clarify the information published by the media about a crew member of Vietnam Airlines suspected of carrying stolen goods from Japan to Vietnam. The firm has also contacted the Vietnam Embassy in Japan and the Ministry of Public Security to coordinate for the investigation.

VNE