The 31-year escape of a jealous killer.

Murder committed out of jealousy.

Tran Van Dan (born in 1962), residing in Quy Hop district, Nghe An province, was a man with a jealous nature. Despite having three children with his wife, his personality remained almost unchanged.

In 1991, Dần's wife was pregnant with their fourth child, only two months away from giving birth, but Trần Văn Dần still believed his wife was having an affair with the warehouse manager of a business located in Quỳ Hợp district. Despite his wife's explanations, Dần remained constantly suspicious and troubled by the relationship.

Tran Van Dan (born 1962), residing in Quy Hop district, Nghe An province. Photo: Archival material.

At approximately 1:30 PM on August 12, 1991, incited by his friends, Dan became enraged and attacked his wife. Afterward, he took a knife and went to find the aforementioned warehouse manager, leading to an argument between them. Although unrelated to the marital conflict between Dan and his wife, the warehouse manager received a stab wound to the chest from the jealous man.

The victim was immediately taken to the hospital by local residents. Despite being taken to the hospital, due to the severity of his injuries, the victim died five hours later. Knowing he had committed a serious crime, Tran Van Dan fled, leaving his pregnant wife and three young children behind. He disappeared without a trace, and the police launched multiple searches without success.

After a period of searching, the Quy Hop District Police issued a special wanted notice for Tran Van Dan for the crime of "murder," but he completely vanished. He went into hiding everywhere to evade capture.wantedAt each place, this man only dared to stay for a short time before moving on to another location. Gradually, he did all sorts of jobs to make a living.

Several years later, Tran Van Dan moved to Cu Ewi commune, Cu Kuin district, Dak Lak province. Finding the place safe and his whereabouts unknown, in 1996, Dan secretly returned to Quy Hop to bring his wife and children to live with him, leaving only his youngest child in the care of his grandparents.

Upon arriving in a new land, Dan changed the names of both himself and his wife, as well as their hometowns, on official documents. In their new place of residence, he almost never quarreled or had conflicts with anyone. He even avoided mentioning his hometown or any relatives in front of his children, aiming to erase all traces of his past. During his time on the run from the police, Dan never returned to his hometown again. He didn't even know when his mother passed away.

From then on, no relatives, neighbors, or anyone in the surrounding area knew anything about the whereabouts or information of Dần and his wife. As time passed, it seemed that people had forgotten the murder case and the perpetrator, but the officers searching for them did not...

The assassin reveals his face.

Returning to Tran Van Dan, to avoid being exposed, Dan always appeared gentle, responsible, and calm, especially avoiding conflicts with those around him. Dan also carefully chose the location for building his house, ensuring a ready escape route in case of discovery. His conscience and remorse occasionally surfaced, but not enough to make him risk everything he had, although sometimes the moments of his crimes would reappear in his dreams, causing him to wake up and stare blankly into the darkness until morning.

Gradually, he lacked the courage to turn himself in, and unexpectedly, one day, just when he thought everything had been forgotten, the police raided the place...

An investigator involved in the case shared: "Throughout 31 years on the run, Dần and his wife completely cut off contact with their relatives. Even when his mother passed away, Dần didn't know. But the more carefully Trần Văn Dần hid himself, the more determined we were to apprehend him."

Wanted notice for Tran Van Dan from 1991. Photo: Archival material.

In early October 2022, through investigative measures, fugitive apprehension officers discovered a man named Tran Duy Dan residing in Cu Ewi commune (Cu Kuin district, Dak Lak province) who matched many identifying characteristics of Tran Van Dan. Verification was immediately carried out by PC02 in coordination with the professional departments of the Nghe An Provincial Police, Tho Hop Commune Police, and Dak Lak Provincial Police. Through verification, investigators confirmed that Tran Duy Dan was indeed Tran Van Dan – the fugitive wanted for "murder".

The special investigation was launched with the goal of bringing Tran Van Dan to justice, restoring fairness to the deceased and his family.

On October 6, 2022, the PC02 task force arrived in Dak Lak, silently observing the terrain and coordinating with other units to plan the arrest. They knew that even a slight deviation from the plan could allow the suspect to take advantage of the rubber forest behind them and disappear once again.

At noon on October 10th, three task forces gradually approached Dan's house. Seeing strangers, the large, ferocious dog lunged out but was quickly subdued. While Dan was stunned, not understanding what was happening, handcuffs were snapped onto his wrists as he shouted, "Tran Van Dan, you've been arrested!" He struggled but to no avail, and understood that his 31-year escape had come to an end.

After 31 years on the run following his crimes, Tran Van Dan was finally apprehended. (Photo: Archival material)

The Criminal Investigation Department of the Nghe An Provincial Police (PC02) has reopened the investigation and issued a detention order against Tran Van Dan (born in 1962, residing in Tho Hop commune, Quy Hop district, Nghe An province) for the crime of "murder". Thus, Dan's 31-year escape has ended. Although late, he will certainly have to pay the price for his crimes.