Two-month-old baby rescued from kidnappers in northern Vietnam

By VnExpress   April 5, 2017 | 05:58 am PT
Two-month-old baby rescued from kidnappers in northern Vietnam
The two-month-old baby is back with the family. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tuan
The kidnappers were trying to sell the baby girl to buyers in China.

Border guards from Vietnam's northern province of Lao Cai rescued a baby from a human trafficker while he was attempting to cross the border between China and Vietnam at around 10 p.m. on Tuesday.

Giang Do and his accomplices allegedly kidnapped 2-month-old Vang Thi Ma from the resort town of Sa Pa at around 11 p.m on April 1. The baby's sister, Vang Thi Xe, 7, was carrying her at the time, while their mother Ma Thi So, was running a street stall, Nhan Dan (People) newspaper reported. 

The alleged kidnappers tricked Xe into letting them take some pictures with May for VND500,000, then quickly drove off towards Lao Cai on motorbikes before bystanders could stop them.

After receiving a report from the mother, local police quickly arrested two of the kidnappers, Sung Thi Vang, 23 and Tan A Sang, 20. During questioning, they snitched on the remaining kidnappers as Do and Giang Seo Hang, 23.

Following the kidnap, Do crossed the border into China with the baby after being promised VND20 million ($880) if he could sell her there. However, after failing to find a buyer with a high enough offer, Do decided to bring her back to Vietnam and was arrested, according to local media.

Police are still searching for Hang, who is believed to be the ringleader, according to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

May received immediate medical care, and was transferred to Bat Xat Hospital, where doctors confirmed she was in good health, local media reported. May has been returned to her family.

Despite the authorities' attempts to combat it, human trafficking has been on the rise in Vietnam, with nearly 4,600 victims rescued in the last five years, official data show. Victims are usually women and children, and approximately 72 percent of them were trafficked to China, mostly from northern provinces.

 
 
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