On 4/7, Ngoc (20 years old, residing in Pong Drang commune) was detained for 4 months by Dak Lak Provincial Police for murder and property theft.

On the afternoon of 20/6, the 12-year-old girl went missing after school, prompting her family to report it to Pong Drang Communal Police.

Authorities determined that from 13h30 to 14h on the same day, the victim was seen with a young man on her electric bicycle. Ngoc was identified as a person of interest and was invited for questioning.

The girl was seen on an electric bicycle with a young man. *Photo: Screen capture from video*

During the investigation into Ngoc, officials discovered the girl's body at the bottom of a well on his family's coffee farm.

Ngoc admitted to murdering the victim, but initially claimed the motive was a dispute over borrowed money. However, based on collected evidence, police determined this statement was false.

Ngoc later confessed he needed money to redeem a motorbike he had previously pawned, which led him to plan the murder for theft.

Ngoc had repeatedly asked strangers for rides, seeking an opportunity to commit a crime, but failed. He then shifted his target to students traveling alone. Upon encountering the 12-year-old girl returning from school, Ngoc asked for a ride, then drove the victim around to his family's coffee farm.

Pham Ba Ngoc at the investigative agency. *Photo: Kim Thi*

After committing the crime, Ngoc took the victim's electric bicycle, pawned it for 8 million dong. Of this amount, the suspect used 5 million dong to redeem his own motorbike, with approximately 3 million dong spent on personal expenses.

Kim Thi