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A shocking incident in northern Vietnam has drawn widespread attention after a man stole his uncle's bones to extort money from his family. The perpetrator, 37-year-old Luu Thanh Nam, from Thanh Hoa province, committed the crime in a desperate attempt to settle his gambling debts.
On September 9, Nam dug a 20cm hole in his uncle’s grave, removed some bones, and hid them in a nearby pile of rubbish. His uncle had passed away four years earlier and was the father of Nam’s cousin, Luu Thanh Hoi, according to reports from Vietnamese media outlet Daidoanket.
The following day, Nam sent a threatening text to Hoi’s wife, demanding 5 billion Vietnamese dong (US$203,000) for the return of the bones. He warned that if the family contacted the police, they would never recover the remains.
Hoi and his wife discovered the damage to the grave and immediately reported it to the authorities. Following an investigation, Nam was identified as the culprit and confessed, citing overwhelming gambling debts as his motive. Police recovered the stolen bones and returned them to Hoi’s family.
In Vietnamese culture, disturbing a grave is considered deeply disrespectful and is believed to cause unrest to the deceased's soul, potentially bringing misfortune to the living. Hoi reburied his father's remains according to local customs, hoping to restore peace to the spirit.
Nam was arrested on September 12 for grave desecration and extortion. The penalties for such crimes in Vietnam can be severe, with up to seven years in prison for grave desecration and up to 20 years for extortion, depending on the amount involved.
Source: SCMP
