Two Hanoi bank robbery suspects arrested

On March 7, Nguyen Van Hieu, 31, and Nguyen Thanh Tung, 41, broke into the transaction office of Vietinbank in Xuan Thap ward, Bac Tu Liem District, Hanoi, threatening its staff to rob money.

According to the police, Hieu and Tung do not have permanent jobs and are heavily in debt. They got to know each other via a group named “Defaulters who want to take risks” on social media and then discussed the plan to rob the bank.

At the police station, they confessed to the crime. Hieu said he used to visit the transaction office to ask for loan procedures. This explained why he chose this place to commit the crime.

Hanoi police on Monday apprehended two men on suspicion of robbery at a Vietinbank transaction office earlier this week.

After observing the number of the transaction office’s employees and security guards two times, Hieu asked Tung to give him VND1.4 million ($61) to buy a black lighter gun, two sharp knives, five pairs of white gloves, two rain suits, two pairs of black cloth shoes, and two cap helmets.

They agreed to split stolen money in half and dispose of the weapons in the city’s Dong Anh district after completing the “mission”.

On the afternoon of March 6, they met to share their costume and finalize the plan.

At around 7:30am on March 7, Hieu put all the “tools” in his backpack and rode a motorbike with no licence plate from a motel on Me Tri Street to Hoang Minh Thao Street, near the place where the robbery occurred, to meet Tung.

One hour later, the two men parked their vehicle on the sidewalk and walked to the transaction office. They pretended to be customers and requested to withdraw money, but soon pulled out a lighter gun, threatened the staff and successfully robbed VND500 million (nearly $22,000).

However, when they ran about 20 meters away, the two collided with passersby, dropping VND300 million and the gun.

After 16 hours of the crime, the two suspects were caught. Police also seized about VND200,000 million and two knives.

The case received the direction of Hanoi’s Department of Public Security and coordination of Dong Anh, Tay Ho and Cau Giay district police forces.

In a similar case, on March 3, the police arrested Tran Quang Minh for a robbery at Vietcombank’s branch in Ha Long town, the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Minh entered the branch and threatened that he had two bombs. While he climbed over the counter, the alarm went off, and he run away. At the major gate, he was arrested by the police and guardians.