Detained a subject claiming to be a reporter for extorting 250 million VND

On July 31, Tien Giang Provincial Police said that the investigation agency is temporarily detaining Phan Dung (54 years old, residing in Ho Chi Minh City) and Nguyen Van Uan (39 years old, residing in Dak Lak province) to investigate the act of "Extortion of property".

According to initial information, on July 29, the Criminal Police Department of Tien Giang Province Police received a report from Lieutenant Colonel LAT (Road Traffic Police Department) about a group of people claiming to be journalists, threatening and forcing them to pay 250 million VND to ignore and not publish the news because they claimed to have discovered violations in the patrol and inspection work of officers and soldiers.

This group of subjects consisted of 4 people (including a driver, Uan), of which 3 people worked directly with Lieutenant Colonel LAT, introduced themselves as journalists, working at a press agency based in Hanoi.

Lieutenant Colonel LAT asked these people to photocopy their letters of introduction and press cards, but they refused. At the meeting, the above group showed Lieutenant Colonel LAT a clip and said that inside were images of violations by the Traffic Police force.

After that, Dung and these people left. That same evening, a person claiming to be Phan Dung, a reporter for the newspaper, called Lieutenant Colonel LAT to threaten and force him to hand over 250 million VND. The incident of the above mentioned group threatening and forcing him to hand over money was reported to the Traffic Police Department Command. The Tien Giang Provincial Police Department directed the professional force to verify and clarify the incident.

On the afternoon of July 29, Dung made an appointment with Lieutenant Colonel LAT to go to the Trung Luong - Ho Chi Minh City Expressway Toll Station (Tan Tuc town, Binh Chanh district, Ho Chi Minh City) to hand over the money.

At around 5 p.m. the same day, the Criminal Police Department caught Dung red-handed receiving 250 million VND at a toll station in Binh Chanh District (Ho Chi Minh City) and invited Uan, the driver who was driving with Dung, who was parked nearby, to work. At the investigation agency, both of these people could not present documents or prove that they were reporters or people from the press agency that they had previously claimed to be.

Dung confessed that on July 28, Mai Xuan Hien (38 years old, residing in Dak Lak province) gave him a letter of introduction and went to Tien Giang to meet Lieutenant Colonel LAT. There, this group threatened to write an article about violations during the patrol and control of the Traffic Police force.

After that, Dung called Lieutenant Colonel LAT to force him to give him 250 million VND to ignore the violation. He made two appointments and changed the location to receive the money, but was caught red-handed at the toll station.

Regarding the incident, the police are verifying and investigating Mai Xuan Hien (38 years old, residing in Dak Lak province) and another person accompanying him to assist in the investigation.