On 6/8, Kha, 31, from Cai Von ward, was detained by Vinh Long provincial police on suspicion of fraud, as stipulated in Article 174 of the penal code.

Tran Thi Kim Kha at the police station. Photo: Vinh Long Police

Tran Thi Kim Kha at the police station. Photo: Vinh Long Police

The investigation revealed that in early 2023, a 46-year-old woman visited Kha's home and inquired about the numerous altars. Kha claimed she could perform rituals to help the woman sell her land and win the lottery if she provided money for the ceremonies, promising a refund if it didn't work.

Believing Kha, the woman gave her a total of 60 million VND for the rituals. She managed to sell her land but didn't win the lottery, so she asked for a refund. Kha refused and promised to continue the rituals for a lottery win. After months with no results, the woman reported the incident to the police. By then, Kha had fled.

This woman was just one of Kha's many victims. Police investigations found that between March and July 2023, Kha used this scheme to defraud several people in the Mekong Delta region of nearly 700 million VND and 1.9 taels of 24K gold.

Authorities subsequently charged Kha and issued a warrant for her arrest. On 4/8, investigators located her hiding in Ben Tre province and apprehended her, bringing her back to Vinh Long province for further investigation.

An Binh