'Nhuệ' Street accused of extorting cremation money from 25 facilities
Nguyen Xuan Duong (Duong "Nhuệ") claimed to be the president of the funeral association and over a long period of time extorted 2.5 billion VND from 25 establishments.
Duong "Nhuệ", 50 years old, along with Ninh Duc Loi, 47 years old, Nguyen Thi Duong, Duong's wife, 41 years old, Pham Van Uy, 32 years old, Nguyen Khac Nin, 42 years old and Quach Viet Cuong, 47 years old have just been proposed by Thai Binh Provincial Police to prosecute for the crime ofExtortion,according to article 170 of the Penal Code.
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| "Nhuệ" Street in court in August 2020. Photo:Pham Du. |
According to the investigation conclusion on February 1, 2017, Duong was asked by a person in Thai Binh city to help him open a funeral home, so he learned about cremation activities. At that time, funeral services in Thai Binh were operating in a chaotic manner, fighting over each other's territory, leading to disorder.
Mr. Tran Dinh Giao, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hoang Long Company, the owner of Thanh Binh Universal Cremation Center in Nam Dinh Province, suggested that Duong cooperate with Mr. Giao's Thanh Phat Company (the exclusive cremation service provider in Thai Binh). Duong is responsible for resolving disputes between funeral service companies.
However, in early December 2017, Duong and his accomplices forced Thanh Phat Company to stop operating in Thai Binh. Duong then took over cremation operations in the area with Loi, calling himself "chairman of the Thai Binh Funeral Association". Duong forced service companies to accept the regulations he set.
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| Thanh Binh Universal Incarnation Station. Photo:Pham Du |
The Road divides the areas of operation for funeral service companies and sets regulations on mandatory payments based on the number of cremations. The Road requires companies to pay 500,000 VND per cremation. Anyone who wants to join the association must ask permission from either the Road or Loi.
Any establishment that opposes or arbitrarily accepts to provide funeral services without reporting, Duong directs his subordinates to threaten, block vehicles, and beat people who obstruct the funeral. For fear of retaliation, these companies do not dare to report to local authorities.
Authorities said that using the above tricks, from the end of 2017 to April 2020, Duong "Nhuệ"'s group extorted nearly 2.5 billion VND from 25 victims.
Duong "Nhuệ" is being accused in 3 cases and has been tried in 2 cases with a total sentence of 6 years in prison. Duong is also being investigated in 3 cases and tried in 2 cases, sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison.
