On 22/8, Cuong was arrested by the Criminal Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police on charges of intentionally disclosing confidential information and appropriating, trading, or destroying confidential documents.
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Tran Huu Cuong at the police station. Photo: Police provided |
Tran Huu Cuong at the police station. Photo: Police provided
The arrest came during an expanded investigation into a loan sharking ring led by Lam Thi Thu Em, 54 (known as "Ma Hanh"), and her son Nguyen Van Dang, 26.
Last week, investigators uncovered the loan sharking operation run by Em and her son. The pair operated a smoothie shop on Dien Bien Phu Street (formerly in Binh Thanh District), which saw a steady stream of customers. However, these individuals were actually making loan payments and paying interest.
Documents reveal that the highest interest rate charged by Em and her son reached 360% annually. If borrowers were late with payments, Em's associates would threaten them at their homes.
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Lam Thi Thu Em and her son led the loan sharking ring. Photo: Police provided |
Lam Thi Thu Em and her son led the loan sharking ring. Photo: Police provided
After gathering sufficient evidence, the police raided multiple locations and arrested Em, her son, and several others. Those arrested admitted to operating since last year, providing loans ranging from 10 to 200 million VND through various schemes, earning hundreds of millions of VND in illegal profits.
According to Ho Chi Minh City police, Cuong’s arrest and the others are part of a crackdown on organized crime, focusing on loan sharking gangs. In just two weeks, the Serious Crimes Unit of the Criminal Police Department has investigated three cases, arresting 14 individuals involved in loan sharking.
Quoc Thang
