Police in Miyagi, Yamagata and Ibaraki prefectures have announced that five Vietnamese men have been indicted on suspicion of widespread theft in seven prefectures, netting them 13.6 million yen in cash and jewelry.

Police said the gang had broken into 125 houses between February and June of this year, Sankei Shimbun reported.

According to Miyagi prefectural police, the five men are acquaintances. They broke into vacant houses, using a method known as yakiri, in which glass is heated and broken with a gas burner. Once inside, they used thick work gloves, penlights and screwdrivers.

Police said the suspects sold the stolen items and used them for living expenses and entertainment.

According to police, the breakdown of the number of cases in the seven prefectures is as follows: Miyagi: 8, Yamagata: 17, Ibaraki: 10, Tochigi: 3, Saitama: 42, Chiba: 28 and Niigata: 17.

The five suspects were arrested in June after being found inside a vacant house in Sendai. Police said the group targeted houses with unkempt gardens and houses with no cars in the garage.

Miyagi prefectural police said the five will be tried at the Sendai District Court.