Pham Thanh Phong (right) arrested on murder charge
On July 29, Colonel Bui Be Nam, head of the An Giang Province Criminal Police Department, said the motorbike theft ring case had been expanded. Police claimed to have foiled seven gangs and arrested 44 suspects over 126 motorbike theft cases in the Mekong Delta. The motorbikes were then transferred and sold in Cambodia.Cambodian district policeman Sok Vutha was prosecuted for using criminal assets. Pham Thanh Phong, born in 1990, was prosecuted for stealing, using criminal assets and trading and storing weapons. Last year, Sok Vutha was expelled from Vietnam.
In 2016, a series of motorbike stealing cases were carried out in An Giang Province by several gangs. On February 25, 2017, An Giang Province Criminal Police Department found that Sok Vutha was riding a stolen Honda Wave Alpha two days ago.
According to the police, Sok Vutha admitted to transporting and selling the stolen bikes from Vietnam to Cambodia since January 2016. He was paid USD30 for each bike and successfully transferred 18 batches through the border.
On March 1, 2017, An Giang Police Department established an investigative team led by Colonel Le Van Tien and Colonel Bui Be Nam. Nguyen Hoai Phong ran away and contacted the ringleader. He was hired to kill another man who was thought to be an informer in Cambodia for USD3,000.
Phong agreed and promised to kill all seven members of the man's family. However, he was arrested at a bus station in Long Xuyen City while trying to go to Cambodia on March 30, 2017. The police also seized a gun and bullets. In January, Phong was sentenced 13 years and 6 months of imprisonment.
The investigative team, Colonel Le Van Tien and Colonel Bui Be Nam have been shortlisted for commendations. Lieutenant Colonel Tran Van Thanh, Deputy Chief of Criminal Police Department was suggested to be awarded the certificate of merit by the prime minister after the success of the first phase.