Nguyễn Thị Tình and her husband from Hà Nội’s outlying district of Chương Mỹ have worked hard for years in the agricultural industry, saving their money in hopes of rebuilding their house.

As usual, on March 10 they both left home for the morning market to sell vegetables, and so did their son.

Returning home that afternoon, they found the house’s gate and main door closed but the lock on the door to the second floor’s had been broken. Their son’s bedroom was a mess, with the wardrobe unlocked. Worse still, some VNĐ125 million (US$5,500) and gold were gone.

The family reported the case to local police examined the scene and questioned those involved. Two days later, they arrested Lê Quốc Long, living in the same district. It turned out that the thief was none other than the victim’s son-in-law.

Long confessed that he was well aware of where his in-laws kept their house and wardrobe keys and that they had a fair amount of cash lying about. With that in mind, Long planned to break into the house and take the money for gambling. Of course, he made the mess in an attempt to hide the evidence.

Through investigation, the police also found that that was the sixth time Long had robbed his wife’s family. He successfully stole the family’s money as the amounts were smaller for the first three times. For the following three cases, he asked Nguyễn Văn Tý, another son-in-law of the family, to join in.

It must have been a great shock for Tình and her husband, and family dinners will never quite be the same, no matter how much Vietnamese traditionally love their sons-in-law. — VNS