They stole 2.4kg of gold and then bought a car.
The Investigation Police Department of Bac Ninh province has just issued a decision to initiate criminal proceedings and indict four individuals involved in a particularly serious robbery that occurred in the area, while also recovering assets worth approximately 10 billion VND.
Previously, on April 21, 2026, the Criminal Police Department of Bac Ninh Provincial Police received a report from the Nenh Ward Police regarding Mr. WJ (born in 1989, Chinese nationality) being defrauded of a large quantity of gold by a Vietnamese individual during a transaction.
Recognizing the serious nature of the incident and the significant value of the stolen property, the Bắc Ninh Provincial Police leadership directed the Criminal Investigation Department to take the lead, in coordination with the Nếnh Ward Police and other relevant professional units, to promptly verify, investigate, arrest the perpetrator, and recover the stolen property.
Through professional investigative measures, the police force clarified the criminal acts and arrested the related individuals. Based on the collected documents and evidence, the investigative agency issued a decision to initiate criminal proceedings, indict the suspects, and temporarily detain four individuals: Hoang Tuan Anh (born in 1991, residing in Dan Tien commune, Thai Nguyen province) for robbery and organizing the illegal use of narcotics; Nguyen Thanh Tung (born in 1983, residing in Tan Tien ward, Bac Ninh province) for harboring property obtained through criminal activity; Nguyen Van Diem (born in 1986, residing in Luc Ngan commune, Bac Ninh province) and Nguyen Khanh Linh (born in 1990, residing in Deo Gia commune, Bac Ninh province) both for receiving property obtained through criminal activity.
According to the investigation, in early 2026, Hoang Tuan Anh was introduced by an acquaintance to assist WJ in selling gold in Vietnam. Unemployed and short of money, Hoang Tuan Anh conceived the idea of exploiting loopholes in his partner's transactions to embezzle assets.
On April 13, 2026, the suspect proactively arranged to meet Mr. WJ and asked the victim to come alone under the pretext of checking the quality of the gold. Subsequently, Tuan Anh lured Mr. WJ to a gold and silver shop in Nenh Ward, Bac Ninh Province, with the intention of robbing him.
After verifying that the gold was genuine, the two left. Taking advantage of WJ's carelessness while he was getting into a taxi, the suspect snatched 23 gold bracelets weighing a total of 2.4 kg, contained in a cloth bag, and quickly fled the scene.
Later, Hoang Tuan Anh, along with Nguyen Van Diem and Nguyen Khanh Linh, found a place to sell 1.4 kg of gold, earning nearly 5.9 billion VND. To avoid detection by authorities, they entrusted Nguyen Thanh Tung with hiding the remaining gold and some of the cash.
The proceeds from the crime were divided among the suspects for personal use and to buy a Mazda CX5 car; notably, Tuan Anh also used this money to buy drugs and organize drug use with others. The Criminal Investigation Department of the Bac Ninh Provincial Police has recovered the stolen assets including 2.4 kg of gold (worth approximately 10 billion VND), 2 billion VND in cash, and one Mazda CX5 car.
Currently, the case is under further investigation and will be handled according to the law.