Prosecutors in the central coastal resort town of Nha Trang Wednesday put two former officers under investigation for allegedly using “corporal punishment” against a theft suspect.

 

According to initial investigations, on November 28 of last year, Tran Ba Tuan and Nguyen Dinh Quyet, investigators of Nha Trang Town’s police division, were ordered to handle a theft at Vo Ha Trang’s home.

 

Trang then accused his housemaid, 31-year-old Tran Thi Lan, of stealing US$1,700 and VND7 million ($341).

 

Tuan and Quyet escorted her to the police station for interrogation and the police’s division ordered the arrest of Lan the next day.

 

One day later Lan was hospitalized with loss of consciousness and bruises on her body.

 

Khanh Hoa Province’s General Hospital concluded that Lan suffered multi-injuries, including those on her thighs, arms and chest.  She went through treatment at the hospital until December 7.

 

Lan said the officers slapped her, and beat her with rubber sticks during custody in an attempt to force her to admit to the theft.

 

In the meantime, police said they were yet to conclude that if Lan had stolen money or not, but they allegedly found Trang’s properties which cost nearly VND6.5 million ($317) in total at Lan’s house.

 

Investigations of Lan and the officers involved are still underway.