A woman in the southern province of Dong Thap has been arrested for staging her own kidnapping in an attempt to swindle VND5 billion (US$200,000) from her father.
Ngo Thi Bich Tram, 33, was detained on Friday along with accomplices Tran Minh Trung, 27, and Nguyen Van Nha, 32, by Dong Thap police for their roles in the extortion plot, authorities said.
Ngo Thi Bich Tram (C) and her two accomplices at police stations. Photo by Read/Phuoc Thanh |
An investigation revealed that Tram had repeatedly borrowed money from Trung and Nha. In a bid to pay her debts and secure additional funds, Tram concocted a scheme where she pretended to have been kidnapped by gangsters. She then contacted her 60-year-old father, pleading for help.
Trung and Nha made threatening calls to Tram’s father, demanding VND5 billion in ransom for her release. Fearing for his daughter’s safety, the father reported the incident to police, who later uncovered the ruse.
According to Tram’s confession, this was not the first time she had used such a scheme. She had previously deceived her father into sending her around VND500 million ($20,000) under similar circumstances.
Tram admitted to exploiting her father’s love and concern for her to repeatedly extort money.
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