The cunning busboy and the special case that solved the theft of more than 6 billion VND on a passenger bus

(Baonghean.vn) - While working as a bus boy, Binh saw the bus company often receive packages from a woman named Mien - the owner of a gold and silver shop. Suspecting that the goods were valuable, Binh invited Duong to join in the theft.

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Solved the case thanks to the arrest of a gunman

Vinh City Police are still detaining Nguyen Thanh Binh (33 years old, residing in Vinh Tan Ward, Vinh City) and Cao Ngoc Duong (28 years old, residing in Vinh Tan Ward, Vinh City) to investigate and expand the 172K project.

Duong and Binh were arrested by the Vinh City Police Investigation Agency on February 18 after committing a theft of foreign currency worth more than VND6 billion on a passenger bus on the night of February 15.

2 subjects Duong and Binh. Photo: Xuan Bac

Previously, on February 17, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen, residing in Yen Binh hamlet, Hung Dong commune, reported to Vinh City Police. At 7:50 p.m. on February 15, Tuan Thuy sleeper bus (owned by Ms. Yen) was running on the Vinh - Hanoi route. When the bus arrived at gas station No. 24, Le Ninh street, Quan Bau ward (Vinh city), it received a package from Ms. Pham Thi Mien, residing in block 2, Hong Son ward, Vinh city, to be delivered to a person in Hanoi.

Ms. Yen directly received the package and gave it to the bus attendant to put in the car's locker. On the morning of February 16, when the bus arrived at Nuoc Ngam bus station (Hanoi), it was discovered that the package was missing. According to Ms. Yen, the package was said by Ms. Mien to be worth 6.1 billion VND in foreign currency, including: 220,000 USD, 600,000 Baht (Thailand); 921,000 JPY (Japan); 669,300 TWD (Taiwan).

Considering the serious nature of the case, Nghe An Provincial Police directed Vinh City Police to establish Project 172K to investigate and clarify the case. Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Cuong - Deputy Head of Vinh City Police, who directly directed the investigation, said that when the investigation began, finding the culprit was difficult because there was no information or evidence. Because the bus did not have a camera installed, there were no images, and the incident happened at night, and passengers got on and off at many points, making it difficult to identify.

Based on the information provided by the car owner, the investigation agency determined that the perpetrator must be an acquaintance or someone who frequently rides the car to know that the package above is valuable enough to steal it. After screening the information, combined with clues, the investigation agency found a suspicious point, which is that when the car was picking up passengers, there were 2 people, one of whom was injured and had a bandage covering his face, asking to get off the car instead of going to Hanoi as the original purpose.

Along with that, the bus owner also said that previously, there was a bus assistant named Nguyen Thanh Binh but had just quit his job for a while. These details were noticed by the police and they began to verify. During that process, on the night of February 17, during a raid on two gangs fighting each other with guns, the police arrested Cao Ngoc Duong.

Evidence of the case. Photo: Nguyen Hung

Searching Duong's house, the police seized two AK guns and a homemade gun along with many bullets. In addition, the police also discovered a lot of foreign currency in Duong's house. At the police station, Duong said that the foreign currency was obtained from a robbery more than 2 days ago. And Duong's accomplice was none other than the bus assistant Nguyen Thanh Binh. Based on Duong's statement, on the afternoon of February 18, the police arrested Binh while he was on his way to Hanoi.

The cunning busboy

The investigation agency said that Binh had a previous conviction for theft. After returning to his hometown, Binh got married but had no job. A few months ago, Binh applied to work as a bus assistant for Tuan Thuy bus company (running on the Vinh - Hanoi route) but quit after a while. During his work, Binh learned that this bus company often delivered a package to a woman who owned a gold and silver shop. Suspecting that the package was valuable, Binh planned to steal it and invited Duong to join him.

On February 15, Binh bought a lot of bandages and wrapped his hands and feet tightly, and used a mask to cover his face, preparing to pretend to be injured. Before that, Binh stole and made another key to the car's storage locker. The two got into the car with the intention of going to Hanoi for a medical examination.

Like many other times, before leaving, Tuan Thuy bus went to gas station No. 24 Le Ninh Street, Quan Bau Ward (Vinh City) to receive a package from Ms. Pham Thi Mien (48 years old, residing in Vinh City). Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen (the bus owner) received the package and put it in a trunk behind the driver's seat without knowing that the package had caught the attention of Binh and Duong.

Provincial Police leaders award the task force. Photo: Xuan Bac

While the bus was picking up passengers along the way, two passengers suddenly asked to get off the bus, saying they were not feeling well. After receiving 200,000 VND from the two passengers, the bus continued on its journey. At 5am when the bus arrived at Nuoc Ngam bus station (Hanoi), Ms. Yen opened the trunk to get the package and discovered that the trunk was empty.

At the investigation agency, Binh and Duong stated that, taking advantage of the car owner's carelessness while picking up the passenger, Binh quickly took the key he had prepared, opened the trunk, took the package, put it on his person and asked to get out of the car. After stealing the money, the two of them divided it, each taking half, and then went in two different directions without having time to count how much money they had stolen.

What Binh and Duong are confident about is that with their perfect scenario, the police will not be able to find the culprit./.

Nguyen Hung