Using trick of curing illness, 20-year-old shaman swindles 3 billion VND

Previously, on December 30, 2021, the Criminal Police Department - Bac Giang Provincial Police received a petition from Ms. Le Thi Khuyen (born in 1972), residing in Doan Ket residential group, Tay Yen Tu town, Son Dong district (Bac Giang) about Ms. Khuyen being defrauded by Nguyen Van Phuoc (born in 2002), residing in Viet Thuan commune, Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province, of more than 3 billion VND by receiving money for spiritual offerings to treat Ms. Khuyen's two sons who are mentally ill at Dong Ri Temple, Tay Yen Tu town, Son Dong district, Bac Giang province.

Immediately after receiving the denunciation, the Criminal Police Department - Bac Giang Provincial Police conducted verification and investigation. The very next day, December 31, the Criminal Police Department investigated and clarified, executed an Emergency Detention Order against Nguyen Van Phuoc for the act of "Fraudulent appropriation of property"; at the same time executed an emergency search warrant at Phuoc's residence, confiscating evidence related to the crime.

Subject Nguyen Van Phuoc.

During the investigation, the police determined that Mrs. Khuyen and her husband had two children with mental illness who had been treated many times but had not recovered. At the end of October 2021, Mrs. Khuyen and her husband went to Dong Ri Temple, Tay Yen Tu town, Son Dong district to have their fortune told and asked Nguyen Van Phuoc to perform a healing ceremony for their two sons. Phuoc gave unfounded information and told Mrs. Khuyen's family to borrow money, sell land to give Phuoc money to organize the ceremony, and gave false information about inviting Chinese masters to refine elixir seeds for Mrs. Khuyen's family to eat to cure their illness. At the same time, Phuoc promised to cure Mrs. Khuyen's children, after which Phuoc would pay and lend Mrs. Khuyen money to pay off debts and do business.

Because she trusted Phuoc, from October 30 to December 7, 2021, Ms. Khuyen used 4 family land use right certificates to sell and asked people to borrow money and then gave it to Phuoc in various forms (directly and by bank transfer) with a total amount of 3,005,000,000 VND.

During the above period, Phuoc organized 5 worshiping ceremonies at Dong Ri Temple to cure Mrs. Khuyen’s child. At each ceremony, Phuoc used money given by Mrs. Khuyen to buy offerings such as votive paper, fruits, wine, cakes, savory offerings, invited a shaman and organized a spirit medium to give out money.

During the process of receiving the money handed over by Ms. Khuyen, from November 15, 2021 to December 29, 2021, Phuoc used it for personal expenses such as buying gold for 340 million VND; buying worship items at Phuoc's family temple for about 450 million VND; buying 2 motorbikes for 116 million VND; giving money to family members to pay off debts for a total of about 850 million VND. The remaining amount handed over by Ms. Khuyen, Phuoc used to pay for worship ceremonies at Dong Ri Temple and in other localities.

At the investigation agency, Nguyen Van Phuoc confessed to his crime.

It is known that in 2016, Nguyen Van Phuoc dropped out of school and regularly performed spiritual worship and fortune telling at home and in the locality in Thai Binh province. At home, Phuoc's relatives built a shrine to serve Phuoc's spiritual work.

By September 2021, the family shrine was completed and was where Phuoc performed worshiping, fortune telling, and mediumship activities. In mid-October 2021, Phuoc was introduced by someone to Tay Yen Tu town, Son Dong district, Bac Giang province to perform a ceremony at Dong Ri Temple. Here, Phuoc performed ceremonies and told fortunes for local people.