Authorities arrested a suspect who exploited the image of the "Thich Minh Tue phenomenon" to defraud over 250 million VND.

On July 24th, the Gia Lai Provincial Police announced the arrest and extradition of Le Thi Hong Vui (37 years old, residing in Hung Thinh commune, Hung Nguyen district, Nghe An province) to Gia Lai for the crime of fraud and appropriation of property.

Previously, on July 15, 2024, the Gia Lai Provincial Police received a crime report from Ms. H (residing in Australia) accusing Vui of exploiting Ms. H's admiration for Mr. Thich Minh Tue to defraud her of over 250 million VND.

Bà H tố giác tội phạm tại cơ quan An ninh điều tra Công an tỉnh Gia Lai. — Ms. H reported the crime to the Security Investigation Agency of the Gia Lai Provincial Police.

Ms. H recounted: “Around May 2024, when Venerable Thich Minh Tue was walking and begging for alms from North to South Vietnam, because I admired him, I flew from Australia to Vietnam to meet him in Quang Tri province. I also joined the group on their alms-gathering walk for about 3 days before returning to Australia to continue living and working. During the walk, Vui got to know me through Zalo, and I often asked Vui about Venerable Minh Tue's health and spiritual practice. From June 10th to early July 2024, Vui messaged and called me many times, saying he needed money to take care of Venerable Minh Tue, such as buying robes, personal items, medical check-ups and treatment… and to renovate the house and buy household items for his parents. Trusting Vui and willingly admiring Venerable Minh Tue, I transferred money to Vui to help with these matters a total of 9 times.”

Suspecting Le Thi Hong Vui of fraud and misappropriation of property, on July 12, 2024, Ms. H flew from Australia to Vietnam to meet with Vui to clarify the matter. However, Vui blocked Ms. H's contact via Zalo. Therefore, Ms. H went to meet Mr. Tue and his family in Gia Lai province, where she learned that Vui had defrauded her.

Acting on a tip-off from Ms. H, the Security Investigation Department promptly verified the information and dispatched a task force to Nghe An to coordinate the arrest of Vui. However, Le Thi Hong Vui had already fled her residence.

Đối tượng Lê Thị Hồng Vui khai nhận đã lợi dụng hình ảnh, tên tuổi của ông Thích Minh Tuệ để lừa đảo, chiếm đoạt tài sản. — The suspect, Le Thi Hong Vui, confessed to exploiting the image and name of Thich Minh Tue to commit fraud and embezzle property.

After more than 7 days of searching, on July 22nd, the Nghe An Provincial Police arrested Vui while she was withdrawing money at a bank in Vinh City.

At the police station, Vui confessed to all his crimes: "Initially, I only asked her to transfer a small amount of money, but seeing that Ms. H didn't suspect anything, I took advantage of her fanaticism and repeatedly tricked her into transferring money to me. I used that money for personal expenses."

The Gia Lai Provincial Police will continue to investigate and strictly handle Le Thi Hong Vui for the act of fraud and appropriation of property; at the same time, they will expand the investigation to clarify the involvement of other related individuals.

Venerable Thich Minh Tue himself has repeatedly stated that he does not accept any money from anyone. Therefore, people need to be vigilant and not transfer money or donate to individuals who exploit the name and image of Venerable Thich Minh Tue to solicit donations in any form.

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