Police in the northern city of Hai Phong have arrested eight people  for allegedly kidnapping a young man earlier this month, VnExpress reported Saturday.

 

Authorities say that on August 8, Nguyen Tu Sinh, 22, flew from the United Arab Emirates to Hanoi. After landing at the Noi Bai Airport, Sinh was approached by a group of people who forced him into a car.

 

They threatened to kill Sinh if he dared to cry for help, the news website said.

 

Authorities say he was then driven to the Cat Trong pawnshop in Hai Phong City, where he was beaten and forced to write a letter saying that he owed them VND260 million (US$13,336).

The gang forced Sinh to call his family in the Central Highland town of Thai Nguyen, asking them to pay the debt, police said. 

 

The authorities say that the crooks also sent thugs to deliver threats in person. The message men allegedly threatened to cut Sinh’s arms off if they refused to pay.

 

On November 12, Sinh’s father delivered the ransom money to the Niem Nghia Bus Station as instructed.  There, local police stepped in and nabbed four members of the gang.

 

Police arrested another later that same day and rescued Sinh. They apprehended the other three members of the gang on Thursday.

 

Police say that, while working overseas, Sinh ran numbers for a man named Thiem. Sinh’s job was to sell numbers to gamblers in so de - an illegal betting racket in which players can bet any amount they want on the last two or three digits of the winning numbers of the state lottery.

Payoffs can total 80 times the original wager.

However, because the gamblers didn’t pay him, Sinh owed Thiem VND70 million ($3,950). As a result, Thiem ordered his gang to kidnap Sinh at the airport and force him to pay the debt.

 

The investigation continues to be underway.