On October 16, the Criminal Police Division of the Thai Nguyen Provincial Police Department announced that investigators had initiated criminal proceedings, indicted, and placed in temporary detention Pham Trung Thanh (born 1997, residing in Xuan Hong Commune, Ninh Binh Province) and La Hoang Son (born 1996, residing in Thanh Mien Commune, Hai Phong) to investigate allegations of “theft of property” and “destruction of property.”
Defendant Pham Trung Thanh, far left
Earlier, at around 2:25 AM on September 9, 2025, Pho Yen Ward Police in Thai Nguyen Province received a report of a commercial break-in and burglary at a local Mobile World (Thế Giới Di Động) branch located at No. 513, Residential Group No. 2, Pho Yen Ward.
At the crime scene, door padlocks were ripped off, the rolling shutter was forced open approximately one meter from the ground, and both glass doors and display display cases were smashed. In total, 17 smartphones were stolen, resulting in estimated damages exceeding 400 million VND.
Pho Yen Ward Police coordinated directly with the Provincial Criminal Police Division to examine the scene, secure forensics, and launch an active pursuit of the suspects.
Through reconnaissance operations, police identified that in mid-September 2025, several mobile phone resale transactions emerged in Xuan Dinh Ward, Hanoi, featuring device specifications matching the stolen handsets.
Following investigative leads, authorities identified the prime suspect as Pham Trung Thanh. However, rather than residing in his hometown, Thanh had relocated to live in Hanoi.
On May 14, 2026, when Thanh visited the Thai Binh Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in Hung Yen Province, Criminal Police detectives approached him to serve an official summons for police interrogation.
At the police station, Pham Trung Thanh fully confessed to the criminal acts.
Investigative authorities further established that La Hoang Son, residing in Hai Phong, conspired and executed the burglary alongside Thanh. Following the incident, Son had fled to Ho Chi Minh City to evade detection.
On October 8, 2026, the Investigation Police Agency summoned La Hoang Son for questioning.
Defendant La Hoang Son working with police investigators
Reoffending While Already Under Indictment in a Separate Case
The investigation revealed that in September 2025, pressed by personal debts, both suspects joined the Facebook group “Insolvent Debtor Society Ready to Take Risks” to look for accomplices. The two met in person in Hanoi and agreed to travel up to Pho Yen to execute burglaries.
Around 1:00 AM on September 9, 2025, the pair arrived outside the Mobile World retail outlet in Pho Yen. They pried open the metal rolling shutter, shattered the interior glass partitions, and seized 17 smartphones. Subsequently, Son retained nine units while Thanh took eight, selling them off to fund personal expenditures.
Beyond this case, Pham Trung Thanh had perpetrated a separate property theft and was already indicted and under active investigation by the Hanoi Municipal Police Investigation Agency.
Source: tienphong.vn
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