Fake cops kidnapping Chinese nationals arrested in northern Vietnam
By Binh Minh May 13, 2019 | 07:45 am GMT+7

Police in the border province of Lang Son have arrested 10 Vietnamese found kidnapping Chinese nationals and demanding ransom.

The Friday arrest happened more than a week after the police received information that four Chinese citizens were tricked to entering the border district of Loc Binh in Lang Son and kidnapped by a group of people who demanded huge ransoms from the victims' relatives.

Police officers swung into action and arrested 10 men, between 17 and 27 years of age, and are still searching for two other suspects. No further details were given about the hunt.

Col. Nguyen Dinh Khai, head of the province’s police department, said the group of Vietnamese suspects used Chinese messaging service WeChat to get acquainted with the victims and tricked them into crossing Vietnamese border.

When the victims entered Vietnam, the kidnappers were handcuffed and arrested by fake police officers who asked the victims to contact with their families to pay the ransom fee through WeChat.

Police said the group had kidnapped seven Chinese nationals and appropriated VND215 million ($9,209) between April 21 to 28.
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could be yet another version of the 'underage girl' scam