Man poses as colonel to commit fraud

Le Thua Son, 48, has been arrested by police in the central city for "fraudulent appropriation of assets."

The detention came Thursday after police received allegations from two local women named Nhung and Hue, who claimed that Son had tricked and taken VND7 billion (US$285,000) from them.

Son, a native of Thanh Hoa Province, told police that in April, he visited Da Nang City and met the two women.

He told them that he is a colonel working at the Thanh Hoa's Police Department and therefore, had "many connections."

He made a counterfeit police DI card and put a blue plate, which is granted only to government officials, on his car to convince the two women.

Believing that Son could help them, Hue gave him VND2 billion to help her sister be released on bail in a case that is still under investigation by Ho Chi Minh City police, while Nhung gave him VND5 billion so that he would change the land use purpose of a plot in Quang Nam Province that borders Da Nang.

Son told police he used the money for personal purposes.

Both taking and giving bribes are criminal offenses in Vietnam but a bribe giver can be free of charges if they report the act to the police.