Former Army Lieutenant Borrowed Money and Was on the Run for 8 Years

The Criminal Police Department of Nghe An Province Police has just handed over Tran Quang Thanh (born in 1986, from Xuan Lam commune, Nam Dan district), a fugitive for 8 years, to the Criminal Investigation Agency of Military Region 1 to complete the investigation and trial according to authority.

Tran Quang Thanh joined the army after finishing high school. In 2011, Thanh was promoted to Lieutenant, serving as a Military Assistant of Military Region 1 (stationed in Dong Hi, Thai Nguyen). During this time, due to his talent for culture and art, Thanh was sent to study at a military art school.

Subject Tran Quang Thanh at the police station. Photo: PB

Compared to many people, Thanh's career path seems brighter. However, instead of continuing to strive, Thanh pushed himself to another dark and hopeless turn.

Tran Quang Thanh had borrowed hundreds of millions of dong from his comrades and local people many times and then lost the ability to repay. The lenders kept demanding payment but could not find the money to pay, Thanh fled the unit. After the investigation, on December 21, 2011, the Criminal Investigation Department of Military Region 1 issued a wanted notice No. 01/QD DTHS against Tran Quang Thanh for the crime of "Abuse of trust to appropriate property".

After escaping, Thanh drifted to the southern provinces, doing all kinds of jobs to make a living. After running for a long time, he got tired of running, so he went to Binh Duong and applied for a job as a worker in a foreign joint venture company, thinking that the authorities had “forgotten” him. To avoid detection, Thanh used his younger brother’s identity card and name to live.

During this time, Thanh met and fell in love with a girl from Ha Tinh and confessed everything about his past to her. Believing in Thanh’s sincerity, she still agreed to be with him in the hope of having a peaceful life. Thanh forged a marriage certificate in 2017.

As for the authorities, after a long period of fruitless pursuit, the Criminal Investigation Agency of Military Region 1 transferred the file and requested the Criminal Police Department of Nghe An Provincial Police to coordinate.

“In order to avoid detection by the authorities, Thanh did not stay in one place but moved frequently. When the police arrived, Thanh was already one step ahead, making verification and arrest more difficult,” said a wanted detective of Nghe An Province Police.

Following many clues, the wanted police discovered that Tran Quang Thanh is currently living and working in Binh Duong. Project 019L was established to capture the subject and bring him to justice.

In Binh Duong province, the police had to work hard to check and verify at the police stations of communes and wards to find clues about Tran Quang Thanh. For many months, the police identified a temporary resident worker named Tran QV, from Xuan Lam, Nam Dan, who had many similar characteristics to Tran Quang Thanh. With the cooperation of the local police, the Task Force was able to confirm that this person was Tran Quang Thanh - the long-time wanted fugitive.

On March 18, the arrest team of Nghe An Provincial Police in coordination with Ben Cat Town Police raided Thanh's rented room and successfully arrested the suspect. At that time, Thanh's wife was at work and had not returned home yet. After meeting his wife before leaving for Nghe An, Thanh confided that he felt more confident in the process of serving his sentence so that he could return home soon...