Authorities are searching for a wealthy woman who allegedly sold fraudulent real estate projects and recently escaped from a psychiatric hospital.

On April 16th, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency issued a notice to search for Ms. Tran Thi My Hien (61 years old, residing in District 1), after she escaped from the Central Forensic Psychiatric Institute in Bien Hoa.

Ms. Hien was formerly the Director of Dat Vang Hoang Gia Co., Ltd. She was a defendant in a case involving Angle Lina Investment Consulting Joint Stock Company, Dat Vang Hoang Gia Trading and Service Co., Ltd., and Hoang Kim Land Real Estate Investment Consulting Co., Ltd.

During the investigation, the prosecuting authorities determined that the defendant, Hien, suffered from mental illness and, more than two years ago, had her sent for mandatory treatment at the Central Forensic Psychiatric Institute in Bien Hoa. However, not long ago, Ms. Hien absconded, prompting the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Department to issue a wanted notice.

According to the case file, from early 2017 to the end of 2019, Ms. Hien, along with Pham Thi Tuyet Nhung (43 years old), Tran Thi Hong Hanh (54 years old), and several others, used the legal entities of companies such as Angel Lina Investment Consulting Joint Stock Company, Dat Vang Hoang Gia Trading and Service Company Limited, Hoang Kim Land Real Estate Investment Consulting Company Limited, etc., to sign contracts to agree on the transfer of land plots in fictitious projects in Binh Tan District, Binh Chanh District, Thu Duc City, etc., to many people.

After receiving money from customers, this group did not fulfill the contractual commitments and instead misappropriated a total of approximately 816 billion VND.

The investigating agency determined that this group sought to purchase large plots of land, including agricultural land and pond land, but only signed deposit contracts, paid a portion of the money to the landowner, and then delayed the payment, failing to complete the transfer as required.

Subsequently, Hien, Nhung, and their group created fictitious projects, drew up plans, and divided the land into numerous plots of residential land at a 1/500 scale, complete with infrastructure; they then named the projects themselves and sold them to many people through various companies and real estate brokerage firms.

Based on the complaints, in late October 2019, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency initiated a criminal case and indicted 9 defendants for the crime."Fraudulent appropriation of property".

Specifically, defendant Tran Thi My Hien is accused of being the mastermind and director of the activities of the legal entities Dat Vang Hoang Gia Co., Ltd. and Hoang Kim Land Co., Ltd. in the fraudulent operation. She is identified as having, along with several other individuals, embezzled 260 billion VND from numerous people.

While the case was under investigation, Ms. Hien's family submitted a forensic psychiatric assessment report from the Ho Chi Minh City Forensic Psychiatric Assessment Center in 2016, indicating that she suffered from mental illness. Based on this, the Investigating Police Agency requested multiple psychiatric assessments of Ms. Hien to provide a basis for legal action.

Based on the conclusions of several specialized expert agencies, on March 10, 2021, the People's Procuracy of Ho Chi Minh City issued a decision to apply compulsory treatment measures to Ms. Hien.

The Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency has also decided to temporarily suspend the investigation against Ms. Hien until she recovers from her illness, at which point the investigation will be resumed and she will be prosecuted.