After D. agreed to buy the stone, Quy hired Phu Van Sang (born 1989), also from An Lao Commune, who worked as a crane assistant, to help transport the materials for a fee of VND3 million (about USD115). Sang agreed.

At around 11:20 p.m. on June 15, Quy drove a crane truck to pick up Sang and Chi before heading to the bridge. Investigators said Sang learned during the trip that the purpose was to steal the bridge stones.

At about 12:30 a.m. on June 16, the group began dismantling the bridge. Quy operated the crane while Chi and Sang used ropes to secure the stone slabs before lifting them onto the vehicle.

After several hours of work, the group removed four crossbeams and nine stone deck slabs before quickly leaving the scene.

At around 2 a.m., Quy drove the crane truck carrying the stolen stone, along with Chi and Sang, via National Highway 5 to Bac Ninh to sell the materials to D.

By nearly 7 a.m., the stone had arrived at D.'s property for inspection. After examining the materials, D. identified four bridge beams, eight intact deck slabs and one broken slab. After attempting to reassemble them, he found that only two bridge spans remained intact, while one span could no longer be reconstructed because of the damage.

D. agreed to purchase all the stone for VND115 million (about USD4,400) and promised to complete payment later that day. At around 1 p.m. on June 16, he transferred VND60 million (about USD2,300) to Quy as an advance.

However, D. later came across social media posts reporting that a historic stone bridge in Ai Quoc Ward had been stolen. After checking the materials he had purchased, he realized they came from the bridge and immediately contacted Quy, demanding that the stone be returned.

Quy subsequently refunded D. VND56 million (about USD2,150), retaining VND4 million (about USD150), which he claimed covered transportation and crane costs.

When the transaction collapsed, Quy hired Nguyen Van Dung (born 1993), from An Truong Commune, Hai Phong, to operate a crane truck and transport the stone from D.'s property for VND3 million (about USD115).

In the early hours of June 17, Dung and Sang arrived at D.'s residence and loaded all of the stone onto the vehicle.

According to investigators, during the trip, Dung and Sang discussed keeping the best-preserved stone slabs to sell later and split the proceeds, while discarding the rest to eliminate evidence.

Upon reaching the foot of Thanh An Bridge, the pair used the crane to dump several stone slabs along the riverside. Three intact bridge deck slabs and two undamaged crossbeams were hidden along a roadside in Lieu Dinh Hamlet, An Lao Commune.

Hai Phong City Police are continuing their investigation and will handle all individuals involved in accordance with the law while recovering the stolen artifacts.

Bao Khanh - Hoai Anh