Mai Thi Bich Van, a 65-year-old retired official, was recently indicted by the Regional People's Procuracy No. 4 for intentionally damaging property, under Clause 1, Article 178 of the Penal Code.

The charge stems from an incident on the evening of 18/1. Ms. Ngoc, residing in Ha Dong ward, parked her black Mercedes-Benz GLC 200 in front of Ms. Van's house, located in the Nam Thang residential area, alley 67 Phung Khoang, Dai Mo ward. This area did not have any "no parking" signs.

At 8:20 PM on the same day, Ms. Van opened her gate for her daughter to leave. However, Ms. Ngoc's car was parked directly in the middle of the gateway. With many plants placed on both sides, Ms. Van's daughter could not move her motorbike out. Angered by this obstruction, Ms. Van took a bunch of keys and made three scratches on the car's front door. She then manually bent the left side mirror, even though it was already folded inwards.

Ms. Van's daughter hit the car window with her helmet, but it left no marks. A nearby driver witnessed the scene and intervened, stating, "You must not damage other people's property." According to the indictment, Ms. Van and her daughter then cursed loudly for a while. Ms. Van proceeded to use her keys to make an additional 12 scratches on various parts of the car's exterior. Unable to find the car owner or a phone number displayed on the vehicle, Ms. Van's daughter asked her father to move the potted plants so she could get her motorbike out.

Ms. Van's husband placed two potted plants at the front and rear of the car, intending for the car owner to see them and come inside to talk. He also wrote two notes that read: "Parking in front of a homeowner's entrance is inconsiderate; you need to relearn driving laws and traffic etiquette." He then taped these notes to the car's windshield at the front and rear.

The exterior of the Mercedes GLC 200 shows many scratches. Photo: Victim provided

At 9:20 PM on the same day, Ms. Ngoc returned to her car and discovered the notes, the bent mirror, and the scratches. She removed the notes and drove away. Due to not paying attention, she accidentally hit the two potted plants placed in front of the car. After taking her child home, she reported the incident to Dai Mo ward police at 11:00 PM.

The investigation concluded that Ms. Van's use of keys caused paint scratches and damaged Ms. Ngoc's car, with total damages valued at 6,8 million VND. On 27/2, the Hanoi Police Investigation Agency issued an arrest warrant for Ms. Van for temporary detention. However, the Regional People's Procuracy No. 4 did not approve the detention order, instead applying a preventive measure prohibiting her from leaving her residence.

The investigation also determined that Ms. Van's daughter did not aid in the damage, so she was not criminally prosecuted. For cursing loudly in public, Dai Mo ward police administratively fined Ms. Van's daughter 750,000 VND.

At the investigation agency, Ms. Van admitted to the actions but claimed she only used her keys to scratch a few areas. She denied scratching the front bumper, the left front headlight cluster plastic trim, and the side mirror plastic trim, as Ms. Ngoc had reported. Camera footage confirmed that Ms. Van did not damage these specific parts.

Acknowledging her wrongdoing, Ms. Van apologized to Ms. Ngoc and offered compensation, but Ms. Ngoc did not accept. Ms. Ngoc demanded that Ms. Van either buy the car or pay 200 million VND in compensation, which Ms. Van was unable to afford.

Ms. Ngoc also presented the investigation agency with details of her losses. She requested Ms. Van to compensate her for repair costs based on the dealership's quote of 127,6 million VND; taxi expenses of 5,2 million VND; and car rental contract fees of 35 million VND per month until the car is repaired.