Police in Ho Chi Minh City on March 17 saved two elderly men and an old woman, all over 70 years old, from a 41-year-old man who allegedly forced them into begging everyday in Go Vap district and pocketed all the alms.

Earlier, after being informed by readers, Tuoi Tre reporters followed the three people while they are begging for money in the district’s Hanh Thong Tay market area.

Reporters later found that they were taken there in the mornings by a man who would come back to take them to his house for lunch at noon, after which he would ride them to the market area again.

It was not until 10:30 pm every night that the three elderly people were taken home by the man.

The man is later identified as Ha Van Bay, 41, who lives with his wife in a rent house at 54/10D Pham Van Chieu, Ward.9, Go Vap district.

The two male victims are Trinh Duy Nhuong, 78, and Dang Nguyen Tiep, 80, and the other remaining woman is Nguyen Thi Liu, 75. All of them are from Thanh Hoa City.

Bay told locals he is working as a motorbike taxi (xe om) driver and the three aged people are his relatives. However, the owner of the house Bay rented said he was telling a lie.

Bay later told police that a few months ago, he and his wife, Nguyen Thi Que, returned to their native land Thanh Hoa and met some elderly people.

The couple managed to convince them to go to Ho Chi Minh to make a living by selling lottery.

Mrs. Liu said she received lottery tickets from Bay who told her he had to deduct VND120,000 (US$5.7) from everyday sales to cover expenses on meals, house rental and fuel.

He assured her that he would pay her the remaining profit when she wanted to return to Thanh Hoa.

Some days later, while hawking on the streets, Liu was robbed and lost all lottery tickets. Bay then asked her to work as a beggar under his supervision.

She said she could make VND150,000 - 300,000 ($7.2 – 14,4) per day but had to give all the money to Bay. Discontented, she has repeatedly asked Bay for money so that she could return home but he said had no money.

Similarly, Mr. Tiep, who left Thanh Hoa a month ago, said Bay kept all the money he made from begging.

Tiep said he could make as much as VND500,000 ($24) from begging on a lucky day.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nhuong is in very bad health. After taken to Ward 9 police office, he lay down on a cushion and could not sit up again without help.

“We have been given only two meals per day: one at 11 a.m. and the other at 11 p.m. I am very hungry now. I begged Bay to let me return to my homeland half a month ago but he refused…”

Police action

After the police’s interference, Bay said he just suggested begging as a possible source of income for them and that he did not force them to do anything.

He also said he had offered them food, accommodation and created conditions for them to earn money.

However, given they now are so weak, he promised he would take them all back to their hometown in Thanh Hoa within a week.

He also admitted to the police that the three former beggars had handed to him more than VND10 million ($480) they received as alms.

Police are considering forcing Bay to return all the money he appropriated from the three victims.

The police also said that they had assigned a policeman to supervise Bay’s activities and that he would be strictly punished if he continued to commit the same offence.

Source: Tuoi Tre