On 3/1, 11 individuals, aged 29 to 67, were indicted by An Giang provincial police for fraudulent appropriation of property.

Of these, eight were detained, two were placed under house arrest, and the remaining person is serving a sentence from a separate case.

Eight individuals detained from the group impersonating "brokers" and landowners. *Photo: Police provided.*

According to the investigation, in late 2023, Quanh and the 11 accomplices, despite not owning farmland, recognized the rising rice prices and the high demand from traders for export contracts. This prompted them to devise a fraud scheme.

Quanh posed as a "broker", while the others impersonated landowners. They led buyers to land plots owned by others to sign rice purchase contracts. Between 12/2023 and 1/2024, the group embezzled over 3,3 billion dong in deposits from traders, subsequently dividing the money among themselves for personal use.

Upon discovering the deception, the victims filed reports with the police. The case was initiated, but Quanh absconded, leading investigators to issue a search warrant, followed by an arrest warrant. In early 8/2025, Quanh surrendered to authorities.

The group confessed their actions to the police.

"Rice brokers" are local intermediaries who connect traders with landowners for purchase contracts, facilitating advance deposits from traders. This system is prevalent because many traders are from outside the region, making it difficult for them to directly verify land ownership. The practice is common in the Mekong Delta, where most rice field transactions occur through these intermediaries.

An Minh