Exposed for harming 6 people for half a banknote, arrested after 43 years on the run thanks to 4-fingered hand

On November 12, the People's Court of Quang Ngai province opened the first instance trial of defendant Phan Thanh Viet (born in 1953, residing in Phong Luu hamlet, Dong Hung commune, Cai Nuoc district, Ca Mau province, permanent residence before committing the crime in An Hai village, Binh Chau commune, Binh Son district, Quang Ngai province).

This is the subject who, along with his accomplices, committed a shocking case that left 6 people dead 43 years ago.

At the first instance trial on November 12, after reviewing the entire case file, the defendant's statements were consistent with those of other defendants in the case, and all aggravating and mitigating circumstances were applied according to regulations. The People's Court of Quang Ngai province sentenced him to the highest sentence.

Regarding the case, Bui Van Tan was the person who, together with Phan Thanh Viet, brought people who wanted to cross the border to Quang Ngai. However, during the investigation, it was not yet determined where Bui Van Tan was residing, so the Investigation Agency did not have a basis to prosecute Bui Van Tan in this case.

According to the indictment, in April 1981, Phan Thanh Viet arranged for 10 people from Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, to Quang Ngai to organize a sea border crossing. Among them was a group of 6 people including 2 women, 3 men and a 14-year-old boy. According to the agreement, Viet would be paid 5 taels of gold if he successfully brought the 6 people across the border.

Upon arriving in Quang Ngai, Viet did not organize for this group to cross the border but instead met with Nguyen Minh Chau, Bui Van Lam, Vo Van Tho, and Bui Thanh Son to discuss how to rob their property.

After discussion, the subjects agreed to harm a group of 6 people. The subjects came up with 2 plans.

On the evening of April 8, 1981, Viet's group carried out their plan. After searching for a tael of gold, 250 dong, and some other items, Phan Thanh Viet's group went to Bui Van Lam's house to divide the property. Each person was given one tael of gold and 50 dong. After dividing the property, the group took out the confectionery they had collected to eat and then discussed how to go to Ho Chi Minh City to get 5 taels of gold.

Phan Thanh Viet was the person who connected and brought the 6 victims to Quang Ngai, so he was assigned to go to Ho Chi Minh City to get the gold.

According to Phan Thanh Viet, before going to Quang Ngai to cross the border, Mr. HVA (one of the 6 people) took him to his brother's house. Here, Mr. A. told his brother that when the group successfully crossed the border, Viet would return to his house to get 5 taels of gold as payment.

To gain the family's trust, Lam and Chau wrote a fake letter announcing that the group of 6 had successfully crossed the border. Viet brought the letter to Ho Chi Minh City to meet HVA's brother.

On the way, Viet thought that the victim's family would recognize the handwriting as a fake letter. Therefore, Viet tore up the letter and threw it away.

Phan Thanh Viet went to Ho Chi Minh City to meet his brother HVA. There, Viet lied that he had successfully helped HVA's group cross the border and demanded 5 taels of gold. However, Viet did not know that there was a secret signal between A. and his brother.

Before leaving Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. A tore a 200 VND bill in half and gave half to his brother. Mr. A told his brother that when he successfully crossed the border, he would give Viet half of the bill. If he saw Viet holding the half of the bill and coming to meet him and putting it back together, he would pay him 5 taels of gold.

"I asked for 5 taels of gold as agreed, then A's brother went into the house and took out half of a 200 dong bill. He asked, where is your other half? Only then did I know the matter had been exposed," Viet testified in court.

Viet said that at that time he hurriedly ran out into the street to escape, without taking the gold. However, the results of the investigation in 1981 showed that because he was threatened, his family still gave Viet some gold.

After taking a quantity of gold, Viet fled to Ca Mau to live. At this time, in Quang Ngai, the police discovered 6 people buried in the sand and investigated. Thereby, the police arrested Nguyen Minh Chau, Bui Van Lam, Vo Van Tho, and Bui Thanh Son. During his detention, Nguyen Minh Chau escaped from the prison. Phan Thanh Viet was wanted.

In April 1981, in Dong Hung commune, Cai Nuoc district, Ca Mau province, there was a young man with a Central accent who came to the coal kilns to ask for a job. This man was Phan Thanh Viet.

Since then, Viet became a charcoal logger, then built a house and lived with the locals. A few years later, Viet lived as husband and wife with a woman from Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province.

In court, Viet said that at that time, Ca Mau was quite deserted so few people cared who he was. After decades of living there, no one cared about Viet's origin.

After 1990, Viet registered his household, built a house, dug a pond to raise shrimp and lived peacefully. 43 years later, Viet thought his crime had been forgotten. However, the perpetrator was revealed through his hand with 4 fingers that had many joints amputated.

In late 2023, through a search of records, the police discovered a man with four fingers on his right hand that had multiple joints amputated. This characteristic matched Phan Thanh Viet, a wanted man for 43 years.

Immediately, the Investigation Police Agency of Quang Ngai Provincial Police coordinated with Ca Mau Provincial Police to extract data and compare the identifying characteristics in the wanted warrant of Phan Thanh Viet.

In early January, a reconnaissance team from Quang Ngai Provincial Police appeared at a small house in Cai Nuoc District, Ca Mau Province.

The homeowner was a man with four fingers and multiple joints. He was invited to the police station for questioning.

At the police station, with the identifying features of his fingerless hand and many other relevant information in the case, the 71-year-old man bowed his head and confessed, admitting that he was Phan Thanh Viet.

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