HÀ NỘI —The Hà Nội police have launched an investigation into two Chinese nationals for allegedly illegally appropriating assets in Việt Nam. 
Zhao Xiao Mei, 36, and Tan Shi Ren, 32, were found to have colluded with their accomplices to hire some Vietnamese people to open bank accounts. 
They later made phone calls to intimidate the Vietnamese victims and ordered them to deposit money into these bank accounts, Captain Nguyễn Minh Hoàn, an officer of the police division for hi-tech crime prevention at Hà Nội’s Department of Public Security, said. 
Zhao Xiao Mei confessed that in mid-August 2016, Mei’s elder brother Zhao Wei Zhong, who lives in China, told Mei to find someone to receive money deposited in bank accounts and then withdraw and send the money back to Zhong. Zhong promised to pay Mei two per cent of the sum. 
Mei later hired some Vietnamese and promised to give them one per cent of the transferred money. The Vietnamese associates agreed to do what Mei asked even though they knew the transactions were illegal. 
On August 24, the bank accounts opened by the Vietnamese accomplices received VNĐ600 million (US$26,900) from a victim in Hà Nội. Mei was arrested when he came to collect the money at the Vietnamese associates’ house in Ta Lung Town of Phúc Hòa District in the northern province of Cao Bằng. 
Meanwhile, Tan Shi Ren admitted he was acquainted with a Chinese man named Gang, who asked Ren on August 23 to find some Vietnamese to open bank accounts to receive and withdraw money. 
On August 25, Gang informed Ren that VNĐ300 million ($13,400) was sent to the newly-opened bank account. Ren paid the Vietnamese accomplices VNĐ1.5 million ($67) and transferred VNĐ295 million ($13,200) to Gang after getting the money. 
After succeeding the first time round, Gang asked Ren to continue the fraud, which involved transactions of VNĐ280 million ($12,500) on August 26 and VNĐ150 million ($6,700) three days later. 
The Hà Nội police said they had secured all the money. All the victims were Vietnamese.—VNS