An Giang provincial police arrested Tuan on 19/8 for the rape of a minor under 16 and intentional injury.

Thach Thanh Tuan at the time of his arrest, being escorted to the police station. Photo: Tien Tam

On the evening of 16/8, the father of a 14-year-old girl reported to the Phu Tan Commune Police (former Phu Tan district) that his daughter had gone out with a 12-year-old boy that afternoon and the family had lost contact, suspecting a kidnapping. Multiple police units immediately began searching for the children.

Later that evening, authorities found the boy and girl in a sweet potato field in My Hoa hamlet, Phu Tan commune. Both were tied up with injuries, gagged, and in a state of shock. The girl showed signs of sexual assault. They were taken to a medical facility for treatment and counseling.

Colonel Nguyen Nhat Truong, Deputy Director and Head of the An Giang Provincial Police Investigation Agency, arrived at the scene to oversee the investigation, recognizing the severity and public concern surrounding the case.

The ensuing investigation and collected evidence pointed to Thach Thanh Tuan as the suspect. He was arrested on the afternoon of 17/8, surprising his wife, children, and neighbors.

Thach Thanh Tuan at the police station. Photo: Tien Tam

At the police station, Tuan confessed that on the afternoon of 16/8, after drinking and using drugs, he encountered two children on an electric bicycle while riding his motorbike home. He devised a plan, feigning a motorbike malfunction and asking to borrow tools from the children, who agreed to help.

After "fixing" the bike, Tuan offered the children 50,000 VND, which they refused. He then pretended to be friendly, inviting them to a field to pick and eat watermelons. As they passed a secluded sweet potato field, Tuan attacked both children with a weapon, threatening to kill them. He then tied them up, gagged them, sexually assaulted the girl, and fled.

The investigation is ongoing.

Ngoc Tai - Tien Tam