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The court convicted Dinh Khuong Linh, 38, a resident of Nghe An’s Vinh City, of robbery.
According to the indictment announced at the court last Friday, around 4 p.m. on Feb. 1, Linh, wearing a mask and coat, wielded a knife and a fake plastic grenade when he stormed into a transaction office of Vietinbank in Cua Lo Town.
Shouting "this is a robbery," he then threatened the staff, tossed a handbag on the desk, and demanded them to "put all the money inside."
After forcing a male employee to put money in the bag, Linh jumped over the transaction counter to grab more cash.
He gathered a total VND52 million and ran outside but dropped VND6 million at the entrance.
He did not pick it up and fled right away on a motorbike.
On his way to escape, Linh removed the license plate and attached a fake one on the motorbike.
On the afternoon of Feb. 3, he was arrested while hiding 15 km from the crime scene.
Security camera footage captures the moment Dinh Khuong Linh stormed into a transaction office of Vietinbank in Cua Lo Town of Nghe An Province, Feb. 1, 2024.
During the trial, he admitted to being addicted to gaming and having unstable employment, which drove him to rob the bank. The stolen money was used to pay off debts and fund his gaming account.
In court, Linh expressed regret and pleaded for leniency to soon return and make amends.
The court recognized his actions as particularly serious, negatively impacting public security and order, thus necessitating a severe sentence.
He has a previous conviction for "abuse of trust to appropriate property" and once received a warning from local police for "intentional damage to property."
