Suspect using axe to rob gold shop in Lam Dong arrested

On the afternoon of February 14, Pham Thanh Chung was controlled and arrested by criminal investigators of Lam Dong Provincial Police on the street in Tam Hoa Ward, Bien Hoa City (Dong Nai).

Chung, a truck driver, admitted to single-handedly robbing a gold shop in Di Linh on the afternoon of February 13. After fleeing the scene, he took a bus to Tan Hiep ward, Bien Hoa city, and rented a motel room for the night.

On the morning of February 14, Chung contacted his friend, had breakfast, drank coffee, then took a bus to Ho Chi Minh City. He asked his friend to bring a necklace to a gold shop and sell it for more than 27 million VND. Chung then invited his friend to a hospital restroom in District 1 and gave him the bag of gold he had stolen. The two agreed to return to Bien Hoa to sell the gold. On the way, they were arrested by the police.

The investigation agency is clarifying the behavior of Chung's friend.

Previously, security camera footage showed that at around 2:30 p.m. on February 13, Chung, wearing a helmet and a mask, entered the Nhu Ngoc Chau gold shop in Di Linh town (Di Linh district) and stood observing the jewelry in the display case. At that time, there were 2-3 customers in the shop.

Suddenly, Chung took out an axe hidden in his jacket, hit the display case many times, broke the glass, then reached in to grab the gold. A shopkeeper tried to stop him, but the robber brandished the axe threateningly and ran out, jumped on a motorbike parked about 20 meters away from the scene, and escaped. People shouted, some threw rocks and bricks to stop him, but to no avail.

Colonel Truong Minh Duong, Director of Lam Dong Provincial Police, went to the scene to direct the investigation units, mobilizing 100% of the force to verify and arrest the suspect. The Criminal Police Department (C02, Ministry of Public Security) also participated in supporting the case solving.

The investigators split into several directions, both verifying the suspect’s identity and pursuing the direction the robber had escaped. At 1:15 p.m., the detectives arrested Trung and seized the evidence. Lam Dong police are recovering the stolen property and expanding the investigation.