Police officer robs gold shops 'for poor people'

He took an AK47 rifle to the gold shops at Dong Ba Market at around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, threatened the staff and shot at the glass shelves where gold items were displayed.

He took the items, threw them into the street, and shouted: "Gold for the poor," according to eyewitnesses at the shops and the market.

A glass shelf in Hoang Duc gold shop in Thua Thien Hue Province ridden with bullet holes, July 31, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Thanh

He repeated the stunt for 10 minutes before leaving the scene, walking along Tran Hung Dao Street in front of the market to reach Trinh Cong Son Park, where he called his family, according to police.

He still had the gun with him in the park.

As he left the market, many people rushed to the scene to collect the gold.

Around 2 p.m., the suspect dropped the gun and surrendered.

He has been identified as Ngo Van Quoc, an officer working at a prison in Thua Thien-Hue, Colonel Duong Van Thoan, chief of staff of the provincial Police Department, said Monday.

Ngo Van Quoc calls his family from a park after robbing two gold shops in Thua Thien-Hue Province, July 31, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Van An

Police are urging those that had collected the gold to return it, Thoan said.

He added officers are extracting security footage from the market and Tran Hung Dao Street to identify the gold pickers.

The case remains under investigation.

 

 

Police officer robs gold shops 'for poor people'

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