On December 21, Thanh Hoa provincial police said they had launched a criminal case and placed Nguyen Thi Thu, 41, and her mother, Tran Thi Thap, 70, both residents of Quang Trung Ward, under temporary detention for investigation into insurance fraud.
Nguyen Thi Thu and her mother Tran Thi Thap are detained for investigation into insurance fraud on December 21
The case came to light after Quang Trung Ward authorities reported that Thu, who had been declared dead in 2020 and issued a death certificate, had suddenly returned to the locality to request the cancellation of her death registration.
Sensing irregularities, local authorities transferred the case file to provincial police for investigation.
According to investigators, Thu divorced in 2017 and moved back to live with her mother. During this period, she purchased three life insurance policies from Prudential and one from Phu Hung Insurance.
In 2020, after being diagnosed with cancer and amid family conflicts, Thu devised a plan to fake her death in order to claim insurance payouts. She discussed the plan with her mother, who initially opposed it but later agreed after Thu threatened to take her own life.
Under the plan, on the morning of June 7, 2020, Thu took sleeping pills, staged a fall in the bathroom to cause minor injuries and bleeding, and lay motionless. Her family then informed local authorities and relatives that she had died suddenly. Funeral rites were conducted quickly and discreetly.
Later that night, Thu regained consciousness and secretly left the house. She initially stayed with a ritual practitioner before moving to Dong Nai Province, where she lived under the radar. Knowledge of the fake death was limited to Thu, her mother and an intermediary.
A full funeral was held, and a body was buried as if Thu had genuinely died. Relatives and neighbours attended the funeral, unaware of the deception.
Police investigate Thu's fake grave
On June 8, 2020, Tran Thi Thap completed the death registration procedures and was legally issued an extract of the death certificate. She then contacted the insurance companies to claim the payouts.
Investigators determined that three Prudential policies paid out more than VND 682 million (approximately USD 25,900), while the Phu Hung policy paid VND 600 million (over USD22,800), bringing the total to over VND 1.28 billion (approximately USD 48,700). The money was sent to Thu and used for property investment and business activities.
Reappearance after five years
In late 2025, after years of living under a false identity, Thu returned to Thanh Hoa and submitted a request to revoke her death registration to resolve personal documentation issues, leading to the case being exposed.
During questioning, Thu confessed to the entire scheme, saying she had once considered suicide but feared insurance would not be paid, prompting her to fake her death instead in an attempt to “change her life”.
On December 18, the provincial police formally prosecuted the case for insurance fraud and placed both Thu and her mother under temporary detention. Authorities said the investigation is continuing to clarify the responsibility of other individuals involved.
Under Article 213 of the Penal Code, insurance fraud involving more than VND 1 billion can carry a prison sentence of between three and seven years.
