Fake cops kidnapping Chinese nationals arrested in northern Vietnam

By Binh Minh   May 12, 2019 | 04:45 pm PT
Fake cops kidnapping Chinese nationals arrested in northern Vietnam
A group of Vietnamese suspects are held at a police station in the northern Lang Son Province for impersonating police officers to kidnap Chinese nationals. Photo by VnExpress/Binh Minh
Police in the border province of Lang Son have arrested 10 Vietnamese found kidnapping Chinese nationals and demanding ransom.

The Friday arrest happened more than a week after the police received information that four Chinese citizens were tricked to entering the border district of Loc Binh in Lang Son and kidnapped by a group of people who demanded huge ransoms from the victims' relatives.

Police officers swung into action and arrested 10 men, between 17 and 27 years of age, and are still searching for two other suspects. No further details were given about the hunt.

Col. Nguyen Dinh Khai, head of the province’s police department, said the group of Vietnamese suspects used Chinese messaging service WeChat to get acquainted with the victims and tricked them into crossing Vietnamese border.

When the victims entered Vietnam, the kidnappers were handcuffed and arrested by fake police officers who asked the victims to contact with their families to pay the ransom fee through WeChat.    

Police said the group had kidnapped seven Chinese nationals and appropriated VND215 million ($9,209) between April 21 to 28.  

"The victims were very scared because they did not know they had been cheated. All of them had entered Vietnam illegally, and this forced them to comply with the requirements of the kidnappers to get back home safely," Khai said.

 
 
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