By transforming stolen vehicles, the owner of a motorcycle dealership chain defrauded 9.3 billion VND.

The Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency today (September 19) completed its investigation report and transferred the file to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Procuracy, recommending the prosecution of Bui Van Tan (41 years old, residing in Hoc Mon district) for the crimes of "Fraudulent appropriation of property" and "Buying and selling documents of agencies and organizations".

Twelve of Tan's accomplices in the case have also been recommended for prosecution on one of the two aforementioned charges.

Investigators determined that from 2021 until his arrest in early 2024, Tan defrauded and misappropriated 9.3 billion VND from 258 customers by selling 259 motorcycles that had been "repurposed" from stolen vehicles and sold on the market as new.

According to the investigation, Bui Van Tan established four motorcycle shops: Tan Tien (in Vinh Loc B commune, Binh Chanh district), Tan Tien 2 (Ba Diem commune, Hoc Mon district), Thao Van Motorcycle Company Limited (Tan Thoi Nhat ward, District 12), and Lam Toi Motorcycle Trading Company Limited (Thuan An city, Binh Duong province). Starting in late 2021, Tan engaged in fraudulent activities by purchasing motorcycles with illegal origins and no paperwork, "transforming" them into new vehicles, and then selling them at his shops.

Accordingly, Tan bought the used motorbikes from online classifieds on social media, pawn shops, and other sources, at prices ranging from 18 to 22 million VND per vehicle, depending on the model and condition.

Tan had also purchased a large quantity of motorcycle factory quality inspection certificates, at a price of 500,000 to 1,000,000 VND per certificate, from individuals such as: Nguyen Dinh Sung (owner of the Ha Thanh chain of car and motorcycle stores in Binh Tan district), Nguyen Thi Kieu Oanh (manager of Honda Hong Hanh 4, 5, and 6 dealerships in Binh Duong and Ho Chi Minh City), and Nguyen Sy Toan (owner of Song Ngan Import-Export Trading Company Limited).

With the stolen vehicles he acquired, Tan instructed his employees to remove the license plates and change the paintwork. Afterward, Tan instructed his employees to deliver the vehicles to Phat Dat repair shop (Binh Chanh district), owned by Nguyen Huu Oai (34 years old) and Nguyen Huu Nhu (40 years old).

Here, Oai and Nhu carried out the process of grinding and engraving new frame and engine numbers to match the frame and engine numbers on the motorcycle's factory quality inspection certificate. Tan paid Oai and Nhu 1 million VND per motorcycle.

Afterward, the vehicles are brought back to Tan Tien 1 and Tan Tien 2 stores, handed over to technicians to be refurbished into "used" or "new" vehicles before being put up for sale to customers.

Customers trusted him because he provided factory quality inspection certificates for the motorcycles. Tan also assured customers that the vehicles would be legally registered. He then connected with brokers to handle the motorcycle registration process. As a result, customers who bought and used the vehicles still believed they were legitimate.

Reportedly, this case was discovered by the Ho Chi Minh City Police force in coordination with the Traffic Police Department (C08 - Ministry of Public Security) through the registration and issuance of license plates for motorcycles and scooters. From suspicions that some vehicles had their frame and chassis numbers altered or erased, the police investigation uncovered the origin of the vehicles at Tan Tien stores, owned by Tan.

Police believe this ring has fraudulently sold thousands of motorbikes to people in provinces and cities across the country. However, to date, authorities have only identified 258 victims who purchased 259 motorbikes and were defrauded of a total of 9.3 billion VND.