Criminal police chief in disguise knocks down suspect of robbery at Long Thanh toll station

"The robbery was extremely serious, involved weapons, was brutal, and happened during the day. On the morning of the third day of Tet (February 7), the Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Public Security to solve the case at all costs," said Lieutenant Colonel Huan.

Colonel Le Ngoc Phuong (Deputy Director of the Criminal Police Department) and many officers immediately arrived at the scene and recorded many traces left by the robbers.

Through the way the two robbers broke in, did it quickly, chose the time to change shifts, handed over money... the investigation agency determined that they knew very well the terrain, the rules of operation of the toll station and were most likely "insiders". Colonel Phuong and the Board of Directors of Dong Nai Provincial Police held a meeting to determine the case, narrowing down the suspicious gangs. Among the employees who used to work at the toll station, Hoang Nam and Tuan Anh emerged with a series of suspicions.

Tuan Anh was fired for nearly a year, Nam had just received his resignation decision before Tet. Both of them had a tendency to party, gamble and had irregular movements after the incident. Many detectives were sent to verify in Dong Nai, Nam's house in Vung Tau and Tuan Anh's rented accommodation in District 2 (HCMC) but had no results.

At night, Hoang Nam and Tuan Anh were at Saigon Station (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City). Many scouts secretly approached and surrounded the area. At this time, there were no trains at the station. Lieutenant Colonel Huan and his teammates pretended to be passengers looking to buy tickets to go home to get in. Tuan Anh was standing alone, looking impatient.

At 11 p.m., Hoang Nam appeared and approached Tuan Anh. Lieutenant Colonel Huan and Deputy Director of Department 3 of the Criminal Police Department slowly approached. The two criminal police officers pretended to be passengers asking about the train, asking for a cigarette, complaining about being late to go home for Tet... The two robbery suspects were caught up in the conversation, unaware that other detectives had promptly arranged to surround them from afar.

Suddenly, Lieutenant Colonel Huan threw Nam down and pinned him to the ground. Tuan Anh's arm was also broken by the martial arts of the other "passenger". They were taken to the Southern Ministry of Public Security headquarters about 3 km away for questioning.

Searching the suspects, the police seized more than 100 million VND and 10 taels of gold they had just bought in Dong Nai with the money they had robbed from the toll station. "During the interrogation, Nam pretended to faint, foamed at the mouth, had convulsions... to avoid the police's questions. But by dawn this morning, the two men had admitted their actions," said Lieutenant Colonel Huan.

The two suspects told the investigators that their meager salaries were not enough to cover their expenses, and they were in debt from football betting, so they quit their jobs one after another. Before Tet, they came up with the idea of ​​robbing money at a toll station in Thong Nhat district because they knew the working process.

Hoang Nam and Tuan Anh discussed and decided on the time to rob during Tet because the bank was not operating at that time, the toll money had to be kept at the station. Tuan Anh went online to buy a marble gun for 6 million VND, pepper spray, petrol bombs...

At around 6am on February 7, the couple rode a motorbike with the license plate covered, approached the toll station and hid in the bushes along the roadside, then walked along the rubber plantation to the back of the toll station. At 7am, Hoang Nam and Tuan Anh, wearing black jackets, masks, and sneakers, climbed over the fence and broke into the ticket accounting office through the window.

Three toll station employees were changing shifts and transferring money into the safe. Hoang Nam pulled out a gun and shot at the computer to threaten them. Tuan Anh used the handle of a knife to hit the employee in the neck, restrained him, and robbed him of 2.2 billion VND. While fleeing, seeing his accomplice being caught, Nam turned around and raised his gun, forcing the toll station employees to let them escape on a motorbike.

Running to the edge of the forest, they threw guns, knives... Because Tuan Anh was injured, the duo rested until evening before escaping to the street. Leaving their motorbike at Long Khanh General Hospital, the two took a bus to Ho Chi Minh City to find a way to escape. At night, when the two were meeting at Saigon train station to escape to the North, they were arrested.

Hoang Nam and Tuan Anh have been extradited to Dong Nai Police to continue to be investigated for their behavior.Robbery.