10,000 days of hiding of former soldier convicted of murder
(Baonghean.vn) - After committing the crime, Luan fled the scene. As a former soldier, Luan still could not have imagined that nearly 30 years later, after almost becoming a "different person", he would still have to pay the price for his actions.
Even though he had changed his name, married a seamstress and had three children, Luan was never at peace with his mistakes. Living here and there made him reveal his weaknesses to the keen eyes of the scouts…
Kill people for the sake of heroism.
In June 1992, the small village where Hoang Van Luan (born in 1971, residing in Tuong Son commune, Anh Son, Nghe An) lived was suddenly stirred by shocking news. The villagers considered Luan to be a gentle, quiet person, quite reserved, born into a well-educated family. So the information that Luan was the murderermurderimaking everyone surprised, not believing it was true.
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| Hoang Van Luan when arrested. Photo: Document. |
According to the case file kept at the Criminal Police Department, when the incident happened, Hoang Van Luan was serving in the army. The unit where he worked was located in Tuong Son commune (Anh Son). Through many relationships, Luan got to know a person named Vo Van Hao (born in 1970; working at team 8, Lam Phu cooperative, Thanh Ngoc commune, Thanh Chuong district). The story would not have happened if each side had been patient.
One time when he went out, Hao met Hien and Thang, who were both soldiers but worked in different companies. When the three of them were sitting down to drink water, a conflict broke out between Vo Van Hao and Thang. Not wanting to argue, Hao left.
After a while, Hao met Thang again, Thang caused trouble and even beat Hao. At this time, Hao met Hoang Van Luan and told Luan about the incident. To "avenge" his friend, Luan brought a stick to find Thang to talk. There, the two sides got into a fight. During the fight, Luan used a stick to beat Thang, causing Thang to die on the spot due to severe injuries. After the incident, Vo Van Hao was arrested and Luan quickly fled the area. In 1992, the Criminal Investigation Department of Military Region 4 issued a wanted notice for Hoang Van Luan.
At the same time, the case was transferred to Nghe An Provincial Police for coordination in the arrest. Many times, the police and military authorities organized a search for Hoang Van Luan but without results. Luan still disappeared, leaving no trace, and completely cut off contact with his relatives, forcing the authorities to search diligently. During the search for Luan, there were many reasons that interrupted the journey. However, finding out Luan's whereabouts was always a major concern for the soldiers.
The cicada's molting plan.
After committing the crime, Hoang Van Luan lived in hiding, hiding in many different provinces and cities to avoid being detected by the police. He would hide for a while and then move to another area to live.
Luan changed his name to Huynh Van Tho, and struggled to make a living by doing various jobs. He rarely interacted with many people and was especially afraid of conflict, even when he was cheated of his wages. Occasionally Tho also joined the workers in drinking parties, but as soon as a stranger appeared, Tho immediately found a way to leave the table. The name Tho "slipped away" stuck with Luan from then on.
During his escape, Luan met a woman from Hue. She was very nearsighted and worked as a seamstress. Luan felt he had the duty to protect and shelter her. When she became pregnant, the two decided to move to Phu Vang (Thua Thien - Hue) to live.
However, because Luan's family background was unclear, the girl's family did not agree to this marriage. Even so, the couple still had 3 children. Luan's wife and children were mostly in the countryside, while Luan was still wandering around, occasionally returning in a rather well-groomed appearance of a successful man. Luan only stayed at home for a few days and then left, no one knew what he did or where he was.
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| After nearly 30 years, Luan could not have imagined that he would be exposed. |
While working as a construction worker, Luan fell from a scaffolding and suffered a deep cut on his cheek. This scar made Luan's face look different from before. With his careful concealment, Luan calmly believed that he could get past the arresting agency. However, Luan's whereabouts were gradually discovered by the Nghe An Police's wanted detectives, especially since Luan's wife accidentally discovered that her husband was a wanted murderer and decided to break up with this man.
At the end of November 2018, wanted detectives received information that at a workers' dormitory in Hue City, a subject with many characteristics similar to Hoang Van Luan appeared. However, when verifying, there was no one named Luan in the area who had registered temporary residence in the locality. After verifying some information, a person named Huynh Van Tho appeared to have many suspicious signs. The detectives secretly followed him.
Luan's father is originally from Hue, went to Nghe An to work and married a woman from Anh Son. Currently, Luan's paternal side has an aunt and uncle living in Hue. A special thing is that Huynh Van Tho has a very close relationship with Luan's father's younger sister. It is possible that Tho is Luan!
On the evening of November 25, Huynh Van Tho appeared at the home of Luan's aunt. Identifying Tho as Luan, the wanted detectives of Nghe An Provincial Police coordinated with officers and soldiers of the Criminal Police Department of Thua Thien - Hue Police to swoop in and arrest him.
“Initially, the subject repeatedly claimed to be Huynh Van Tho, did not know who Luan was, but could not present any identification papers. Faced with the sharp evidence presented by the investigation team, Huynh Van Tho had to admit that he was the wanted subject Hoang Van Luan,” a soldier involved in the investigation confided.
After arresting Luan,police agencycontacted Luan's wife for information but she refused to answer the phone. "On the way back to Nghe An, Luan rarely mentioned his wife and children. Luan was only worried about his youngest daughter who was mentally disabled because if his wife decided to end the relationship, it would probably be a long time before he could see her again," a detective shared.
Hoang Van Luan confessed that during his time in hiding, despite having a perfect cover and gaining the trust of those around him, deep down he always felt tormented by the crimes he had committed. Many times he wanted to face the truth but did not have the courage...