Captain Le Thai (right) and officers arresting the fleeing robber
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On February 8th, the Lam Dong Provincial Police announced that on the afternoon of February 7th, as soon as they received a report about a bank robbery, the Provincial Police Director assigned Captain Le Thai, Chief of the Duc Trong District Police, and Captain Dang Van Kien, Head of the Criminal Police Department, to lead and directly supervise two task forces to track and arrest the robber.
Hundreds of officers from the Provincial Criminal Police, relevant agencies, and the Duc Trong District Police were mobilized to set up checkpoints on all roads to intercept this daring robber.
According to Captain Le Thai, the unit anticipated many challenges during the pursuit of the robber, as the suspect was armed and exhibited extremely aggressive behavior.
The Police meticulously devised a cautious course of action to protect the participating forces and ensure the safety and well-being of the local residents.
The authorities identified the suspect as a dangerous individual who prepared a handgun and chose the last working day of the year for the bank before the lunar New Year holiday, when the staff were counting and settling the funds.
Immediately after the robbery, the police organized a perimeter and narrowed down the list of suspects. Through various operational measures, the authorities identified the most suspicious individual as Nguyen Thanh Trung (32 years old, residing in Tam Bo Commune, Di Linh District, Lam Dong Province), who was renting a room in Lien Nghia town, Duc Trong District.
Trung was engaged in business and real estate brokerage. Recently, due to financial losses, he found himself in a dire debt situation and was being pressured by multiple creditors to repay the debts…
Based on this information, the authorities quickly established the physical appearance and identifying characteristics of the bank robber.
After threatening and intimidating the bank employees with a gun and stealing billions of Vietnamese Dong, Trung fled on a motorcycle towards Ho Nam Son (Lien Nghia town). Before making his escape, the robber fired warning shots, threatening anyone who intended to pursue him.
A robber with a gun in his hand, inside the counter, ready to steal money |
In a banana plantation near Ho Nam Son, Trung changed his clothes, helmet, and put the stolen money in a backpack. To make his escape more daring, Trung placed stones in the backpack and threw it into the Nam Son Lake, creating a deceptive crime scene in order to deceive the pursuing forces.
Next, Trung switched from a Dream motorcycle to an Air Blade scooter and headed towards Da Lat City, then circled around to Luong Son before reaching Binh Thuan Province. Along the way, Trung frequently changed his clothes, helmet, and chose deserted and camera-less roads.
According to Captain Le Thai, around 2 a.m. on February 8th, the pursuing team discovered Trung riding a motorcycle on National Highway 1A, in the section passing through Binh Thuan Province. When they spotted the suspect, the team used tactics to lead him to a safe location, where they subdued, arrested, and seized all of his assets.
Suspect Nguyen Thanh Trung when being arrested
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During the interrogation by the police, Trung confessed to all of his criminal acts. In particular, he admitted that if he had not been apprehended by the police, he would have fled to Cambodia with the stolen money.
The police confiscated all the money that Trung had just stolen |
The police have also retrieved the firearm that Trung used during the bank robbery. The law enforcement agencies are currently conducting an assessment of the firearm to consider charges related to the illegal use of military weapons.
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