Captain Nguyễn Trung Đức. — Photo tienphong.vn

HÀ NỘI — For almost a decade, People’s Public Security captain Nguyễn Trung Đức has been a digital detective, investigating primarily high-tech, financial crimes.

And thanks to his dedication and enthusiasm, the 33-year-old and his team have brought many crooks to justice.

His efforts were recognised when Đức was named one of the Outstanding Young Vietnamese in 2020.

Last year alone, his team cracked 14 cases with a total value of over VNĐ27 billion (US$1.2 million).

Many of these centred around Junma Phú Thọ Co Ltd based at the Thụy Vân Industrial Park.

Đức and his fellow officers discovered the company organised the purchase of signage from many business households in and outside the province.

Some business households, when selling goods, received cash or money transferred to personal accounts and did not issue invoices to the company.

In order to validate the origin of the goods, the company used illegal invoices of some unrelated enterprises they have other contracts with it. Junma Company used those invoices to claim value-added tax (VAT) refunds, causing damage to the State budget.

Through verification, Đức and his teammates discovered the company made a false record of the cost of purchasing raw wood from five households in Minh Tiến Commune, Đoan Hùng District, Phú Thọ Province.

The total unpaid expenses in 2018 were more than VNĐ6.2 billion ($267,400), causing losses to the state in income tax of VNĐ1.2 billion ($51,700).

This was just the tip of the iceberg. Đức and his team found more wrongdoings by the company, eventually gathering enough evidence to prosecute.

The good work continued last year, as the investigators also smashed a company involved in counterfeiting at the Bạch Hạc Industrial Zone in Việt Trì City.

Firm faith, strong will

Such crimes are complex and require a determined and intelligent approach and Đức knows this means he must always stay one step ahead of those he investigating.

Đức told the Vietnam News Agency cases vary, with some taking just a few hours to solve, while others can take months and months. Or even years.

After a decade of the job, Đức has lost count of the number of cases he has successfully helped to prosecute.

Many times the dangers of his occupation are clear to see, as criminals attempt to bribe him, or even threaten his life, but nothing will stop him from doing what he does best.

Last year, he received the second class Victory Medal for his achievements in fighting crime, contributing to maintaining political security, social order and safety, successfully completing all assigned tasks. — VNS