An Giang Provincial Police announced on 19/12 the arrest of Nguyen Van Thu, 39, on charges of murder and property robbery. Thu, the nephew of the 75-year-old victim, Ms. Tham, was apprehended on 16/12 after he allegedly electrocuted and tried to suffocate her during a robbery, prompting her to feign death.

Nguyen Van Thu at the time of his arrest by criminal police. *Photo: An Giang Provincial Police.*

According to the investigation, Ms. Tham had no husband or children and lived alone, selling lottery tickets locally. About a year ago, she sold a piece of land for 50 million VND, giving 5 million VND to each grandchild. She used the remaining money to buy 5 taels of 24K gold for safekeeping.

At about 1:50 AM on 11/12, as Ms. Tham slept in her house with the door ajar, Thu sneaked in. He used a knife to cut her mosquito net and pressed an electrified clothes hanger against her hand, causing minor injuries. When he then used a blanket and pillow to press down on her face, the elderly woman feigned death, lying motionless.

The attacker, seeing Ms. Tham no longer resisted, searched her and took 5 taels of 24K gold and 3 million VND before leaving the scene. The victim later asked relatives to report the incident to the police.

The Criminal Police Department, in coordination with local police and other relevant units, launched an investigation. During the scene examination, authorities found that an electrical outlet in Ms. Tham's house was directly connected to a 220V power source. The attacker had used a wire cut from a fan, connecting it to an outlet near the bed to fashion an electrocution device.

Through their investigation, police identified Thu, Ms. Tham's nephew, who showed suspicious financial activity and had fled the area. On the evening of 16/12, criminal detectives arrested Thu while he was hiding in a rented room in Minh Hung Ward, Dong Nai Province.

An Giang Provincial Police are expanding their investigation.

An Minh