Tan Ky Police: Busting a cattle theft ring.

(Baonghean)From the Lunar New Year of 2010 to the present, there have been nearly 20 cases of theft, resulting in the loss of more than 20 buffaloes and cows belonging to households in Tan Ky district, causing property damage exceeding 400 million VND. This is the largest buffalo theft ring ever busted in the province.

Since February 2011 (around the Lunar New Year of the Tiger), numerous cattle thefts have occurred in Tan Ky district. Thieves typically target households without proper shelters, operating in remote, mountainous areas to facilitate escape in case of trouble. Consequently, the most frequent victims are poor households receiving government assistance in the form of cattle for production. According to statistics from the Tan Ky district police, many cattle have been mysteriously stolen.

A typical example is the theft of a pair of buffaloes worth approximately 35 million VND belonging to Hoang Minh Binh, residing in Tan Lap hamlet, Tan Long commune, on July 13, 2011. Taking advantage of a lapse in security, thieves broke into the barn and stole the pair of buffaloes, the family's most valuable asset. The next morning, when the family went to let the buffaloes out to graze, they were shocked to find only an empty barn. The incident was reported to the authorities and the Tan Long commune police. Also in Tan Long commune, the family of Phan Van Cuong also lost a pair of buffaloes, a mother and calf.

Next, in Hamlet 8, Nghia Phuc commune, taking advantage of the stormy weather, thieves broke in and stole a bull belonging to a family, worth approximately 25 million VND.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking case is that of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Ve, residing in Tan Mai hamlet, Nghia Hoan commune. Mrs. Ve lives alone and is the poorest person in the village. In April 2011, she received a cow worth 6 million VND as government assistance. She considered it a "treasure" and took great care of it; neighbors said she would feed the cow every two hours. Yet, after only two months of raising it, taking advantage of the fact that she hadn't yet built a barn and had tied the cow outside, thieves stole her cow.

Determined not to let the thieves continue their rampage, the Tan Ky District Police force decided to take action to dismantle this cattle theft ring. On August 10, 2011, the District Police Chief held a meeting to discuss and establish a special investigation team, code-named 811T, headed by Lieutenant Colonel Phan Huu Chu, Deputy District Police Chief, to focus on investigating and clarifying the case.

Determined to solve the case and restore peace to the villagers, preventing panic, the special task force, consisting of eight officers from the Tan Ky District Police Investigation Team, quickly launched an investigation. However, during the investigation and evidence gathering process, the task force encountered numerous difficulties. The thieves' operating areas were often mountainous regions, and the exact time of the thefts was difficult to determine. Their methods were extremely sophisticated and cunning; they broke in and stole without leaving any traces or making any noise.

After numerous meetings, the task force devised various strategies to combat this type of crime, including blocking entry and exit points to the district and inspecting motor vehicles to prevent the thieves from transporting the stolen cattle. However, this strategy proved ineffective; during this period, no cattle were stolen, yet reports of cattle theft continued to be submitted. Suspecting that the thieves might slaughter the cattle on the spot before selling the meat, the task force met in early October 2011 and concluded that the thieves were likely individuals involved in the cattle trading and slaughtering business in the district. The task force identified several suspects involved in cattle trading and slaughtering in the area. Among them was Tran Van Tung (born in 1974), residing in Tan Mai hamlet, Nghia Hoan commune. This individual was involved in both cattle trading and slaughtering. Strangely, every time Tung went to inspect cattle belonging to someone with the intention of buying them, he wouldn't buy them, and a few weeks later, the animal would disappear. From this, the police officers in the special task force, in coordination with the local police, closely monitored the suspected individuals, tracking their every move. After more than a month of monitoring their movements and closely following the suspects, the task force identified the individuals responsible for cattle theft in the district over the past period.

The suspects involved in the cattle theft ring who were arrested are currently being detained at the Tan Ky District Police Station.



Evidence seized by the police in the case.

Caught in the net

On November 16, 2011, another theft occurred in Nghia Phuc commune, involving a pair of buffaloes worth approximately 40 million VND belonging to Mr. Nguyen Thien Quy, residing in Tan Hoa hamlet, at around 2:00 AM. Immediately after discovering the incident, the family reported it directly to the district police by phone. The emergency task force immediately convened and set out to apprehend the suspect. Information from the public indicated that a resident had seen Tran Van Tung leading a pair of buffaloes that evening. When questioned, he claimed he had bought them.

Through investigation and verification, the police officers gathered important evidence to prove Tran Van Tung's criminal behavior. After being summoned to the police station for questioning, he vehemently denied the charges. Indeed, he was very cunning; when he sensed trouble, Tung brought a buffalo home. When the police arrived to investigate, he claimed that the buffalo he had bought earlier had already been slaughtered. When asked where he bought it, Tung said he bought it from Mr. Hung in Tien Ky commune, a mountainous area with difficult access roads.

Undeterred, the police officers of Tan Ky district decided to take Tung to Tien Ky commune to verify if he had actually bought the buffalo there. Verification revealed that no one in Tien Ky commune was selling buffaloes at that time, but Tung still refused to confess. This time, he claimed he bought it in Tho Son commune, Anh Son district. The officers continued to interrogate this stubborn suspect. Finally, the investigation team devised a plan: they would release the buffalo that Tung claimed to have bought to see which way it went.

Unexpectedly, the buffalo went straight to the barn of Le Van Thang (born in 1979), residing in Tan Thang hamlet, Tan Long commune. This man also worked in slaughtering cattle with Tung and was listed as a suspect involved in a cattle theft ring in the district. Faced with irrefutable evidence, the suspect finally confessed.

On November 25th, after nine days of investigation and gathering sufficient evidence, the Tan Ky District Police Investigation Agency issued an indictment and ordered the temporary detention of two suspects, Tran Van Tung and Le Van Thang, on charges of theft.

Expanding the investigation, on November 26th, the district police continued to arrest Hoang Nhu An (born in 1967), residing in Hamlet 12, Tan Huong Commune. On November 28th, they arrested two more suspects: Ta Quang Khan (born in 1964), from the same hamlet as An, and Hoang The My (born in 1963), residing in Thanh Phong Hamlet, Nghia Hoan Commune. My also works as a cattle butcher. All suspects were detained and prosecuted for theft. Among the suspects, Ta Quang Khan had previously served many years in prison for theft. He was only released from prison in March 2011 before joining this group.

During searches of the suspects' homes, police recovered several remaining buffalo horns, ropes used for tying buffalo, and tools for slaughtering cattle. Notably, at Tùng's house in Nghĩa Hoàn commune, police discovered an underground slaughterhouse for buffalo and cattle. He confessed that after stealing any animal, he would take it down there to slaughter it, so no one knew. Even Mrs. Nguyễn Thị Vệ's cow was slaughtered by Tùng, despite their houses being only a few hundred meters apart.

After summoning the suspects, the investigating agency proceeded to take their statements. Initially, the suspects admitted to their crimes. They confessed that from around the Lunar New Year of 2010 until now, they had committed nearly 20 thefts, stealing more than 20 buffaloes and cows of various types, causing losses of over 400 million VND. After stealing each animal, they would take it to Tung's cellar to butcher it that same night and sell the meat to restaurants or at the market.

Speaking with us, Lieutenant Colonel Phan Huu Chu said that the Tan Ky district police are continuing to expand the investigation to complete the case and bring these individuals to trial as soon as possible.

Pham Hoa