ANN/VIETNAM NEWS – Vietnamese authorities arrested five individuals on charges of murder, robbery, and kidnapping in Cambodia. The suspects, identified as Nguyen Khac Manh, 34, Nguyen Van Khoa, 29, Hoang Van Thanh, 24, and Nguyen Ngoc Thao and Phan Sy Dung, both 27, are accused of violently abusing their victims and demanding ransom payments.
The An Giang Provincial Police recommended prosecuting the suspects for murder, robbery, and kidnapping, while the investigation, led by the Ministry of Public Security, remains ongoing. Several suspects involved in the incident are still at large.
Investigative reports reveal that on August 24, five Vietnamese individuals from the provinces of Hai Duong, Ninh Binh, Bac Giang, and Thanh Hoa were lured to Cambodia under the false promise of job opportunities. Upon arrival, they were detained by a group led by Khoa, Manh, and Thanh, who confiscated their belongings at a boarding house in Cambodia’s Kandal Province.
The captors allegedly subjected the victims to severe mistreatment, with Thanh recording the abuse and subsequently demanding ransom from the victims’ families. One victim from Hai Duong Province died from a traumatic brain injury after his family was unable to pay the ransom.
On August 25, after three victims’ families paid nearly VND500 million (USD19,600), Khoa and his associates fled, taking approximately VND500 million and additional property valued at over VND70 million.
The remaining four victims managed to escape and sought help from Vietnamese authorities.
In July, five individuals involved in organising the victims’ illegal border crossing were sentenced by An Giang Provincial People’s Court to prison terms of five to six and a half years for facilitating illegal emigration.
