Lao Cai Province Police said on the evening of July 4 that officers, working with Son La Province Police, had arrested Ha Van Ty, born in 1996, from Cau Thia Ward, Lao Cai Province, on suspicion of child abduction.
Ha Van Ty at the police station (Photo: Police).
At around 3.30 pm on July 4, Lao Cai Province Police received a request from their counterparts in Son La Province to help track down a suspect who had allegedly abducted a child in Ke Village, Ngoc Chien Commune, before fleeing into Lao Cai Province.
After receiving the information, police launched a coordinated search. By 6.30 pm, officers had located and arrested the suspect while he was hiding in Cang Dong Village, Tram Tau Commune. The abducted girl was rescued safely during the operation.
The girl, identified as A., was rescued by police (Photo: Police).
During initial questioning, Ty told investigators that at around 8 am on July 4 he had been riding a motorcycle from Muong Bu Commune in Son La Province back to his home in Lao Cai Province.
While passing through Ke Village, he noticed four children selling watermelons by the roadside and stopped to make a purchase.
Police alleged that Ty took advantage of a moment when the children were distracted to abduct a six-year-old girl, identified as Thao Thi A., before fleeing with her to Lao Cai Province.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the case.
