On 20/3, Pham Ly Phuong, 35, along with Nguyen Anh Duy, Nguyen Tuan Anh (both 33); Dao Xuan Loc, 35; Le Nguyen Binh, 38; and Lo Viet Chung, 33, faced trial at the Tay Ninh Provincial People's Court. They were charged with property robbery, handling stolen property, and concealing a crime.

Pham Ly Phuong and his accomplices. Photo: Hoang Nam

According to the indictment, Phuong lived with his mother, Ly Thi Hoa, in Thuan Tay Hamlet, Loi Thuan Commune, Ben Cau District, Tay Ninh Province. Plagued by debt and needing funds to repay the bank, Phuong, aware his mother was soon to receive over 2.2 million USD to safeguard for another individual, conceived a plan to seize the money.

Phuong contacted Loc to discuss and agree on robbing the funds. Loc assented, recruiting Tuan Anh and Anh Duy to participate. Between 23/2/2025 and 10/3/2025, Phuong's group held three meetings in the Ben Cau area to finalize their scheme.

Their plan assigned Phuong the role of informing the group when his mother had the money and its location within the house. Loc, Tuan Anh, and Duy were to wait near the Moc Bai border gate for the signal, then proceed to Mrs. Hoa's home, impersonating police officers to "inspect for illegal foreign currency" and coerce her into surrendering the cash. After the robbery, the group intended to go to an industrial park in Loi Thuan Commune, Ben Cau District, to hand the money over to Phuong for distribution among the members.

The 2,281,700 USD at the center of the plot belonged to Mrs. My, 44, a Ho Chi Minh City real estate businesswoman. On 8/3, Mrs. Huong (whose background is unknown, residing in Cambodia) contacted Mrs. My via Telegram to borrow 2.5 million USD. Two days later, after securing 2,281,700 USD, Mrs. My instructed her employee to transport the funds from her company in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, to his mother-in-law's house in Go Dau Town, Tay Ninh, for safekeeping. Subsequently, Mrs. My called to arrange for someone to collect the money.

After his mother asked him to collect a taped box of money and bring it home for safekeeping, Phuong called Loc to initiate the plan. At approximately 1 PM, Loc borrowed an automobile from a friend, handing it to Tuan Anh to drive Loc and Duy to Mrs. Hoa's house. As Loc had visited the house before, he remained in the car to avoid recognition, while his two accomplices entered.

Finding Mrs. Hoa seated next to the carton of money in the living room, Duy and Tuan Anh stormed in, identifying themselves as "police officers conducting an inspection" due to a report of her possessing illegal foreign currency. Duy used his phone to record a video, asking about the money in the box and whether she had any documentation, aiming to intimidate her. Duy demanded Mrs. Hoa surrender her phone and citizen identification card, instructing her to prepare her belongings for questioning at the police station. While Mrs. Hoa went to the back of the house, Tuan Anh and Duy seized the box of money, carried it to the automobile, and fled.

Phuong then called Loc to arrange a meeting for the money split, but Loc unexpectedly turned off his phone and fled.

After the robbery, Mrs. My visited Mrs. Hoa's house and confronted Phuong. There, Phuong confessed to committing the robbery with his accomplices. On 11/3, Phuong surrendered to the Tay Ninh Provincial Police.

Meanwhile, Loc, Tuan Anh, and Duy took the stolen 2.2 million USD to Ho Chi Minh City, placing it in backpacks. Loc summoned Lo Viet Chung to the area opposite the Military Region 7 headquarters to return the automobile, then had Chung drive him to various gold shops (addresses unknown) to exchange 20,000 USD for approximately 500 million VND for personal expenses. Tuan Anh went to an apartment building in District 1 to meet his girlfriend, giving her 150 million VND; Loc and Duy retained the rest. The group then purchased train tickets to Hanoi to evade capture.

In Hanoi, the group rented an apartment in Tay Mo Ward, Ha Dong District, and summoned Nguyen Bao Chung (Tuan Anh's brother) to receive the room. The group agreed to give Tuan Anh and Duy 100,000 USD to exchange for spending money. Loc took the remaining funds with Chung to hide at his grandmother's house in Hoa Lu City, Ninh Binh Province.

Concurrently, Tuan Anh and Duy met four acquaintances, seeking assistance with accommodation. Unaware of the money's origin, they agreed to assist. The two then visited two women in Hanoi and sold 100,000 USD, collecting over 2.5 billion VND. Duy contacted Le Nguyen Binh, informing him of the successful robbery and sending a video. Despite knowing the money's illicit origin, Binh advised the group to flee to Thailand or Malaysia and provided an account to receive over 2.5 billion VND. Upon receiving the funds, Binh converted them into Vietnamese Dong and USDT cryptocurrency.

The next evening, Loc returned to Hanoi, dined at an acquaintance's home, and left a suitcase of money. Following instructions, Binh retrieved the suitcase and stored it in room 204 of a hotel in Ha Dong District. On 15/3, Binh met an acquaintance and sold 200,000 USD, yielding over 5.1 billion VND; he then used 3.3 billion VND to purchase 130,023 USDT. On the same day, following Binh's instructions, Loc, Duy, and Tuan Anh hired a taxi from Hanoi to Dong Nai to hide. Binh transferred 300 million VND to an acquaintance for the group to withdraw cash, keeping the rest at the hotel.

By 10 PM on 15/3, Tay Ninh Provincial Police searched the hotel, seizing 1,959,800 USD and 40 million VND. Aware of the arrest warrant, on the afternoon of 22/3, Loc asked Chung to drive him from Trang Bom, Dong Nai, to Chu Se Commune, Gia Lai, to hide. Chung agreed, rented an automobile to transport the group, and received 10 million VND. On 24/3, Tay Ninh Provincial Police apprehended Loc, Tuan Anh, and Duy in Nong Truong Village, Chu Se Commune, Gia Lai Province. Seized evidence included over 770 million VND and more than 2.2 million USD.

Hoang Nam

* Victim's name has been changed.