Vũ Hoàng Nam (right) and Trần Tuấn Anh stand in court on Thursday in Đồng Nai Province where they received jail terms for property theft. Photo plo.vn

ĐỒNG NAI — Đồng Nai People’s Court on Thursday gave jail sentences to two robbers who made off with VNĐ2.2 billion (US$94,500) in cash from the Dầu Giây toll booth on the HCM City Long Thành-Dầu Giây Expressway which connects HCM City and southern Đồng Nai Province.

The accused are Vũ Hoàng Nam, 29, a resident of Nam Định and Trần Tuấn Anh, 26, who lives in HCM City. Nam and Anh received jail terms of 20 and 19 years, respectively, for the theft.

According to indictment, Nam and Anh are former employees of the Dầu Giây toll booth.

At the beginning of this year, the men bought guns, knives and other weapons to carry out the robbery.

On February 7, the third day of the Lunar New Year, they wore masks, storming in to the station and threatened staff members there. They took the money before escaping on a motorbike.

Then Anh fled to a nearby rubber plantation while Nam drove the motorbike to HCM City.

Nam asked his friends to keep more than VNĐ1.5 billion. He also bought ten taels of gold and a necklace, valued at VNĐ400 million in total at a jewellery shop in the city.

The two suspects were arrested at Saigon Railway Station after sharing the money.

While investigating the robbery, the police have recovered more than VNĐ1.7 billion to return to the toll booth. Nearly VNĐ400 million of gold, including 10 taels of gold and a necklace, has been seized. The remaining amount worth nearly VNĐ100 million has not yet been returned. — VNS