[Vnbiz] Not for publication translation of VietnamNet articleso on a big robbery - At my school!!!

Mon Oct 9 13:08:25 PDT 2006

Dear English speaking CACC,

Here's a couple translations of VietnamNet articles about the VAS robbery. As an experiment – and for some personal fun – I tried to use the same "journalistic style" the author used in Vietnamese. That's why it reads a bit "strangely" in places. Regardless, it does outline the essence of what happened. The articles are in chronological order - earliest first, latest last.

- Shane

HCMC: 3 billion dong heist from Vietnam Australia International School

16:23' 03/10/2006 (GMT+7) 

(VietNamNet) – The heist was just like the American film "The Robbers of the Century". 3 billion dong was stolen from the hapless victims in the middle of the street in broad daylight…

The theft took place at 10 a.m. on 2/10 when Miss Lê Thị Hồng Trang (born 1979, resident of Ward 13, District 10), an accountant at the Vietnam Australia International School, was taking 3 billion dong of school money by car to deposit in a bank on Kỳ Đồng street, District 3, HCMC.

When Trang's vehicle arrived at the intersection of Ngô Thời Nhiệm and Bà Huyện Thanh Quan strreets in District 3, 2 motorcycles all of a sudden hemmed in the front and rear of the vehicle. With nowhere to go, the driver got out of the car.

Immediately, he was agressively manhandled back into the car by a group of people (2 female, 1 male) and ordered to follow the thieves' instructions.

After many twists and turns, the car pulled up at an isolated spot in Thảo Điền ward, District 2. Using tape, the thieves taped the mouth and hands of Miss Trang and the driver before taking the 3 billion dong and making an easy getaway.

This morning (3/10), the matter was reported to the Office of the HCMC Police crime and social order investigation unit. By midday of the same day, the Board of Directors of the Vietnam Australia International School urgently met with the investigators.

The suspicion in this theft is why the thieves clearly knew when the car would be carrying the money, the route it would take and the amount of money it would be transporting, in order to carry out this daring robbery?

A source says this theft is the biggest ever in HCMC. The thieves were organized and had carefully plotted and organized the details. The HCMC Police investigation unit is pursuing the matter.

*	Phan Công

An "insider" surfaces in the 3 billion dong Vietnam Australia International School heist

10:20' 06/10/2006 (GMT+7) 

(VietNamNet) – The driver transferring 3 billion dong of Vietnam Australia International School has admitted he acted in collusion with the villians who carried out the daring robbery on 2/10.

>>  <http://www2.vietnamnet.vn/xahoi/phapluat/2006/10/618511/> 3 billion dong heist from Vietnam Australia International School

A VietNamNet source says the driver, Trung Nghĩa, who was driving a 4-seater sedan carrying Miss Lê Thị Hồng Trang together with 3 billion dong to be deposited into a bank in District 3, has admitted he is connected with the robbery gang, as the "insider" in order to carry out this outrageous heist.

After several days employing highly professional techinques, the HCMC Police investigation unit has told Trung Nghĩa he must bow his head and admit to his role.

Before taking the vehicle, carrying Miss Trang (an accountant of Vietnam Australia International Education Company, headquartered at 243-245 Khánh Hội, Ward 5, D.4, HCMC) and the 3 billion dong to deposit in the bank, Nghĩa had told his accomplices, social outcasts, to come for a chat with him. The gang sat down together to carefully discuss the minutest of details.

The route the vehicle carrying the money would take was carefully scrutinized for an ambush spot, the gang of thieves chose the intersection of Bà Huyện Thanh Quan - Ngô Thời Nhiệm (District 3) as the place to effect the heist.

Therefore, when the theft took place, Nghĩa put up no resistence, but was "submissive", and following the instructions of the thieves, drove the vehicle across the Saigon river to a secluded spot in  Thảo Điền ward, District 2, so his accomplices could easily carry out their "mission".

Investigators are currently conducting an urgent search for the acquaintances in this daring robbery after Nghĩa's initial confession, especially the 3 accomplices (2 females, 1 male) who directly carried out the heist.

         Phan Công

Theft of billions from Vietnam Australia International School is unravelled

14:52' 06/10/2006 (GMT+7) 

(VietNamNet) – The 4 perpetrators directly involved in the daring film-like robbery have just been arrested. Many surprising details of the heist have been brought to light.

>>  <http://www2.vietnamnet.vn/xahoi/phapluat/2006/10/619582/> An "insider" surfaces in the 3 billion dong Vietnam Australia International School heist

>>  <http://www2.vietnamnet.vn/xahoi/phapluat/2006/10/618511/> 3 billion dong heist from Vietnam Australia International School

 <http://www.vietnamnet.com.vn/dataimages/200610/original/images1116765_vietuc.jpg> So?n: HA 916765 g?i d?n 996 d? nh?n ?nh này

Students of Vietnam Australia International School during school  hours (photo: Âu Thanh Tâm )

Midday on 6/10, a VietNamNet source revealed all the suspects directly involved in the theft of 3 billion dong from Vietnam Australia International School on 2/10 have been nabbed together with US$70,000, over 283 million đồng and other evidence related to the case.

Mother & son, husband and wife urge each other to steal

Immediately after Nguyễn Đặng Trung Nghĩa (born 1979, resident of an apartment block on Phạm Văn Đan, Ward 17, Bình Thạnh District, HCMC), driver of Vietnam Australia International School admitted to his role of acting as the "insider" for the gang of thieves, he revealed the names and addresses of the others, investigating police moved quickly and spread out to catch the remaining accomplices, namely: 

Đặng Hồng Thu (born 1956), Danh Hữu Hùng (born 1973) and Ngô Thị Hường (born 1968), residing together in an apartment block on Phạm Văn Đan, Ward 17, Bình Thạnh district, HCMC).

According to the initial confessions of the urgently detained suspects, prior to 2/10 Nghĩa had told his mother, Đặng Hồng Thu that on that day he would be transferring a very large amount of money from the Vietnam Australia International School to a bank on Kỳ Đồng street, District 3 in order to deposit it.

Grabbing this "precious" information, Thu went to Danh Hữu Hùng and Ngô Thị Hường's apartment, in the apartment block to discuss the idea of a quick "life change".

The discussion about the mission occurred with lightening speed, the 3 suspects determined to implement the theft just like in the film, together with Thu's son, and requested he provide information about the transfer of the money.

Nghĩa didn't conceal anything, on the contrary, he cooperated at once and drew up a map of the money transfer route with all the streets that would need to be traveled.

After careful discussion, the 4 suspects allocated responsibilities, accordingly, the 2 females would ambush the vehicle by waiting for it at the Ngô Thời Nhiệm – Bà Huyện Thanh Quan intersection, District 3. Whilst Hùng would be responsible for staging a crash into the vehicle in the middle of the intersection and "play the role" of Nghĩa's handler.

With the details of the plan set, the split up to buy rope, tape, syringes to quieten the captives and a cloth sack to cover the accountant Lê Thị Hồng Trang's head, and waited for zero hour to arrive…

A "beautiful" theft just like in the film

On the morning of 2/10, exactly as predicted, Lê Thị Hồng Trang carried the school's 3 billion dong to the vehicle, which Nghĩa had ready and waiting, and departed from the head office at 2… Khánh Hội street, District 4 in the direction of Kỳ Đồng street, District 3.

Initially the vehicle followed the correct route, but when they arrived in the vicinity of District 3, Nghĩa unexpectedly detoured off the correct route in the direction of the Ngô Thời Nhiệm – Bà Huyện Thanh Quan intersection. When they got to the intersection, the drama unfolded.

A motorcycle ran into the back of  the vehicle Nghĩa was driving. Nghĩa immediately got out to check the vehicle and had words with the "actor" who caused the accident. Unexpectedly, the "actor" who caused the problem used the syringe to subdue Nghĩa.

At the same time, 2 masked females wearing hats walked up, got into the vehicle and overpowered Miss Trang. Meanwhile Nghĩa was forced back into the vehicle by the male and told to follow the gang's instructions. All this happened with lightening speed, aimed at limiting the number of witnesses.

After everyone had taken their seats in the vehicle, Trang was gagged and hooded by the 2 phụ females, Đặng Hồng Thu and Ngô Thị Hường, with the cloth bag and the tape. Meanwhile Nghĩa was subdued by the neighbor Danh Hữu Hùng using the syringe, and told to drive in a direction out of HCMC.

When the vehicle had crossed the Saigon bridge, Nghĩa was told to drive to a deserted are in Thảo Điền ward, District 2. Here Nghĩa's mother and the husband and wife neighbors continued to finish the fake heist as a genuine robbery. Nghĩa also had his hands bound with string and his mouth gagged with tape. After that, the 3 suspects left Nghĩa and Trang in the vehicle, snatched the 3 billion dong and fled.

"The sky is wide but there's nowhere to hide"

Thinking the perfect crime had been comitted, after Nghĩa freed himself and the accountant Trang, the 2 of them sought out the Thảo Điền ward public security head office to report the 3 billion dong robbery.

Recognizing this was a major theft, Thảo Điền ward public security alerted the Police Office of crime and social order investigation unit, HCMC Police proceeded to the ward to directly handle the matter.

After hearing a recount of the matter and taking preliminary statements from Trang and Nghĩa, HCMC Police had an urgent meeting with the heads of the Vietnam Australia International School. Information on the origins of the money, as well as who knew about the transfer of this large amount of money was taken on record.

Investigators were quite surprised and raised a number of significant questions. How did the thieves clearly understand the route of the vehicle transferring the money in order to ambush it? Why could the thieves so easily carry out the heist in that manner, but without a whimper of resistance? How did the thieves know that the money would be in the vehicle? If there was no "insider" ...?!

Through a professional reaction and high expertize <outbind://120/#_ftn1> [*], after many days struggling, the investigators from the Police Office of crime and social order investigation unit, HCMC Police, determined the point of contact for the matter was the driver Nguyễn Đặng Trung Nghĩa.

The Police Investigation unit has opened a case file and is currently collecting evidence in order to make the case, prosecute the accused and inquire about other accomplices to the theft.

*	Phan Công

  _____  

 <outbind://120/#_ftnref1> [*] YES! That's what the original says. Ripleys!!!

Shane
-------------------------------------
Mr. Shane Wall
Principal

shane.wall at translingualexpress.com
Mbl: +84 (090) 9484 753
Tel: +84 (8) 820 9143

www.translingualexpress.com <http://www.translingualexpressk.com/> 

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