Detained 'fake husband' who abused his wife's stepchild to the point of brain injury in An Giang

On the morning of March 31, the Investigation Police Agency of An Giang Province Police temporarily detained Ho Tran Minh Co (born in 1995, residing in Vinh Phu hamlet, Vinh Thanh Trung town, Chau Phu district, An Giang province) to investigate the act of murder.

Previously, on the evening of March 29, Ho Tran Minh Co and Nguyen Thi Hong Nhung (born in 1998, residing in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province) - living together as husband and wife - brought NTHL (born in 2017, Nhung's stepchild) to An Giang Provincial General Hospital (Chau Doc area) in a coma.

Here, Co and Nhung reported that L. fell while playing with friends. However, after examination, the doctor discovered that L. had a brain injury and many injuries on her body, suspecting signs of abuse, so they reported it to the police.

Realizing signs of crime, Vinh Thanh Trung Town Police, Chau Phu District reported to the Provincial Police Department. Considering the seriousness of the case, the Provincial Police Department directed the Office of the Investigation Police Agency to coordinate with Working Group No. 2 of the Provincial Police and professional units to quickly investigate and verify.

The police identified Co as the one who injured L. and invited him to the police station for questioning. Initially, Co was evasive and denied the abuse. However, in the face of the investigator's sharp arguments, Co admitted to all the crimes.

The investigation determined that around December 2024, Co went to Binh Duong to work, met and lived with Nhung and her child L. After Tet 2025, Co brought Nhung and her child back to his house in Vinh Phu hamlet to live.

On the evening of March 28, after returning from drinking, seeing L. sucking her finger, Co used a wooden stick to hit her four times on the buttocks and once on the temple, causing her to collapse. On March 29, after returning from drinking again, Co threw L. up and let her fall onto a thin mattress on the floor, causing her to lose consciousness. Afterwards, Co and everyone else took L. to the emergency room. The case is currently under further investigation and will be handled according to the law.

Faced with the difficult circumstances of L.'s family, the Party Committee, People's Committee and Police of Vinh Thanh Trung town supported 25 million VND to help the child with treatment costs.