HCM CITY: Vietnamese police have detained five people on charges of murder, robbery and kidnapping in Cambodia.

The defendants, identified as Nguyen Khac Manh, 34, Nguyen Van Khoa, 29, Hoang Van Thanh, 24, and Nguyen Ngoc Thao and Phan Sy Dung, both 27, are accused of subjected the victims to severe mistreatment.

An Giang Provincial Police recommended prosecution for murder, robbery and kidnapping.

Several additional suspects remain at large as the investigation, overseen by the Ministry of Public Security, continues.

According to investigative reports, on August 24, 2023, five Vietnamese people from the northern provinces of Hai Duong, Ninh Binh, Bac Giang and Thanh Ho were smuggled to Cambodia under the pretext of employment opportunities in Taiwan (China).

Upon their arrival, the victims were detained by a group led by Khoa, Mạnh and Thanh, who confiscated their belongings in a guesthouse located in Cambodia’s Kandal province.

The victims were subjected to extreme abuse, which was recorded by Thanh, who later demanded ransom from their families.

A victim in Hai Duong Province died of a traumatic brain injury after his family failed to comply with a ransom demand.

On August 25, following the transfer of nearly VNĐ500 million ($19,600) by the families of three victims, Khoa and his associates fled the scene.

The other four victims managed to escape and sought assistance from the Vietnamese authorities, who later discovered that Khoa’s group had stolen nearly VNĐ500 million, along with property valued at over VNĐ70 million.

In July, five Vietnamese people involved in facilitating the illegal border crossing of the victims were sentenced by the An Giang Provincial People’s Court to prison terms ranging from five years to six years and six months for organizing illegal emigration. — Vietnam News/ANN