Authorities arrest suspect for fraudulently selling antique statues across multiple provinces and cities.
The Nghi Loc District Police, in coordination with relevant units, have successfully cracked a case involving the fraudulent sale of antique statues, appropriating billions of VND, and have initially arrested one suspect.
Recently, through monitoring online activities, the Nghi Loc District Police discovered a new method of fraud involving the sale of antique statues of Saint Joseph, Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of Grace, etc., to people, religious leaders, and church officials in many provinces and cities nationwide; defrauding billions of dong and causing public outrage, especially in areas with religious communities.
Recognizing this as a new and highly sophisticated scam that exploits the religious beliefs of victims to commit crimes and affects public security, the Nghi Loc District Police established a special task force to combat it.
During the course of the investigation, the Nghi Loc District Police received a report from a woman residing in Nghi Loc District stating that in mid-April 2024, two strangers had approached her and introduced themselves as having unearthed statues of Saint Joseph, Our Lady of the Rosary, and Our Lady of Grace, and offered to sell them to her for 177 million VND.
Upon receiving the complaint, the investigation team identified two individuals involved in the fraudulent sale of antique statues of Saint Joseph, Our Lady of the Rosary, and Our Lady of Grace, both residing in Tay Ninh province: Vo Van Kien (born in 1990), residing in Gia Loc ward, Trang Bang town, and Nguyen Chi Tam (born in 1991), residing in Suoi Da commune, Duong Minh Chau district.
These two individuals are also the ringleaders of a scam selling antique statues of Saint Joseph, Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of Grace, etc., to people, clergy, and church officials in many provinces and cities across the country, a case that the Nghi Loc District Police are currently investigating.
Determined to quickly apprehend the suspects and stabilize public opinion, the special task force dispatched teams to Tay Ninh province for verification. However, the arrests proved very difficult because the suspects moved around and hid in Cambodia, frequently changing their phone numbers and methods of contacting their families.
With dedication to their work and a determination to combat crime to the end, on May 30, 2024, in Trang Bang town, Tay Ninh province, the Nghi Loc District Police, in coordination with the professional departments of the Nghe An Provincial Police, the Trang Bang Town Police, and the Duong Minh Chau District Police (Tay Ninh province), arrested Vo Van Kien for fraud and appropriation of property; seizing 9 bronze statues, 3 mobile phones, and many other related pieces of evidence.
At the police station, suspect Vo Van Kien confessed that from the beginning of 2024 until now, he and Nguyen Chi Tam had conspired to buy bronze statues at prices ranging from 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 VND, then added letters and numbers like "24-12-1728" and "GOLD 14K" to falsely represent the statues as "antiques" made of gold and silver with high value; then they would go to parishes and churches to fraudulently resell them at prices ranging from 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 VND per statue.
Using the aforementioned fraudulent methods and tactics, the perpetrators traveled to many provinces and cities such as Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Hue, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, etc., targeting Catholic parishes, congregations, and religious centers to swindle and steal property. The amount of money stolen from many victims is approximately 2 billion VND.
The suspect admitted to committing a fraud case in which he embezzled 177 million VND from a resident in Nghi Loc district in mid-April 2024. Currently, the Nghi Loc District Police are coordinating with the police in other provinces and cities to verify the information and continue the investigation to expand the case.