Authorities dismantle a multi-province network involved in stealing and selling stolen mobile phones.
Having met at a coffee shop, Dinh Quoc Huy and Nguyen Van Hung exchanged phone numbers. Later, Nguyen Van Hung suggested to Huy, "When you have a phone, sell it back to Hung." From there, an alliance was formed between a professional inter-provincial property theft ring and a network for selling stolen goods.
Over 300 mobile phones were seized as evidence.
These are the "massive" number of confiscated phone numbers seized by the Criminal Police Department of Ha Nam Provincial Police, serving the investigation of a ring involved in theft and pickpocketing targeting citizens.consuming stolen propertyThis was during the operation to ensure security and order for the procession, veneration, and worship of the Buddha's relics and the 2025 Buddha's Birthday celebration at Tam Chuc Tourist Area, Ha Nam province, from May 17th to 20th. In addition, the investigating agency also seized two vehicles, including a Ford Everest and a Hyundai Santafe, which the suspects used as vehicles to commit the crimes, along with many valuable assets.
Previously, on May 18th, the Criminal Police Department of Ha Nam Provincial Police arrested a group of four individuals specializing in staging incidents of crowding and pushing to steal and pickpocket from locals and tourists during their visits to Tam Chuc Pagoda to venerate the Buddha's relics and attend the 2025 Buddha's Birthday Celebration.
Expanding the investigation, the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Ha Nam Provincial Police has so far detained seven individuals for investigation into two offenses: theft and receiving stolen property. The detained individuals include: Dinh Quoc Huy (born 1982), residing in Hamlet 4, Phu Van Commune, Phu Ly City, Ha Nam Province; Nguyen Thi Huong (born 1976), residing in Vi Luong Hamlet, Nam Phong Ward, Nam Dinh City, Nam Dinh Province; Tran Thi Kim Oanh (born 1973), residing in My Xa Ward, Nam Dinh City, Nam Dinh Province; Nguyen Thi Be (born 1968), residing at 209B B2B Trai Gang, Thanh Nhan Ward, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi; and San Thieu Xuan (born 1960), residing at house number 30, alley 68 Doan Thi Diem, Quoc Tu Giam Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi. Nguyen Van Hung (born 1985), residing in Group 11, Quang Trung Ward, Thai Nguyen City, Thai Nguyen Province, and Nguyen Duy Phuong (born 2002), residing in Hamlet 9, Thai Binh Commune, Yen Son District, Tuyen Quang Province, are a professional gang specializing in theft and the sale of stolen property. Most of the suspects have multiple prior convictions, such as Nguyen Thi Huong, who has 5 prior convictions for theft and was only released from prison in September 2024; Tran Thi Kim Oanh, who has 3 prior convictions; and Nguyen Thi Be, who also has 2 prior convictions…
Lieutenant Colonel Le Duc Tung, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ha Nam Provincial Police, stated that the investigating agency has so far clarified that the members of the gang had closely planned, divided tasks, and colluded with each other from the theft stage to the concealment, disposal, and sale of stolen property. During the investigation, the suspects gave evasive answers, hindering the investigation. However, through experience and the application of various professional methods, and persistently pursuing the suspects, the investigators of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ha Nam Provincial Police have clarified the role of each suspect and demonstrated the sophisticated methods and professional nature of this criminal network.
In this case, the suspects had a very specific plan and division of tasks. They discussed and agreed to assign Nguyen Thi Huong, Nguyen Thi Be, and San Thieu Xuan to blend into the crowd, approach people going to the temple, stage a pushing and shoving scene, then take advantage of the opportunity to pickpocket and steal phones and other valuables, and then pass them to Tran Thi Kim Oanh, who followed behind. Oanh then passed them to Dinh Quoc Huy, who was sitting in a fixed position in the Tam Chuc temple area to hide the stolen phones and valuables. Afterwards, Huy collected all the stolen phones to sell to the group of buyers Nguyen Van Hung and Nguyen Duy Phuong, who parked their car near the Tam Chuc temple area to transport them back to Thai Nguyen for resale.
Order a fake phone.
The breakthrough of the case was that, in addition to apprehending the members of a professional phone theft and pickpocketing gang that exploited festivals and crowded events, the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ha Nam Provincial Police also uncovered a close collaboration between this professional theft gang and a group of individuals who dealt in stolen goods. They had established contact and agreed on "orders" for stolen goods from the outset.
During the recent procession, veneration, and worship of the Buddha's relics and the 2025 Buddha's Birthday celebration at Tam Chuc Tourist Area, Ha Nam province, before their arrest, two individuals, Nguyen Van Hung and Nguyen Duy Phuong, drove a different car each day from Thai Nguyen to Ha Nam, parking near Tam Chuc Pagoda to wait for Huy to bring stolen phones from locals and tourists visiting Tam Chuc Pagoda to sell to Hung's group, who would then take them back to Thai Nguyen for resale. The connection between Dinh Quoc Huy and Nguyen Van Hung was the key link in this scheme.
The suspect, Dinh Quoc Huy, confessed that he met Nguyen Van Hung at a coffee shop. Huy and Hung exchanged phone numbers, and Hung even suggested to Huy, "When you have a phone, sell it back to Hung."
After acquiring stolen phones from the theft ring led by Huy, Hung and Phuong would turn off the phones, remove the SIM cards, and then contact the victims to demand a ransom. If the victims refused to pay, the perpetrators would use software to unlock the phones, restore the data, and turn them into blank devices to sell on the market. If they couldn't unlock them, they would dismantle the phones, taking out the components to replace parts for customers needing repairs or upgrades.
During an emergency search of Hung and Phuong's residence in Thai Nguyen, the police seized a total of 319 mobile phones of various types. The suspects confessed to stealing these phones from festivals and stadiums hosting football matches in northern provinces and cities. Specifically, on May 17th and 18th, the group stole 51 mobile phones, money, and other valuables from people and Buddhist devotees visiting the Tam Chuc Pagoda tourist area. Currently, the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ha Nam Provincial Police is continuing its investigation to expand the scope and dismantle the entire network and all related individuals for strict legal prosecution.
