HCMC – District 1 police in HCMC have detained Pham Huynh Nhat Vi, a 21-year-old native of Tien Giang Province, on alleged charges of abduction of children for pornographic purposes.
Vi’s arrest is part of an expanded investigation into the coercion of minors under 16 to engage in pornographic activities, as stipulated by Article 147 of the 2015 Penal Code.
According to the police, Vi is residing in an apartment unit in the Saigon Pearl residential compound in Ward 22, Binh Thanh District. This apartment, which is on a short-term lease to a foreign national, is used as the setting for illicit activities. Evidence collected by the police indicates that Vi received financial compensation from this individual for encouraging young girls to participate in pornographic performances.
Ben Nghe Ward police received a report from Nguyen Thi Chi, a 27-year-old resident of District 7, concerning the disappearance of her two children, aged 7 and 3, on April 3 while they were in the Nguyen Hue pedestrian street area.
Upon investigation, the police determined that around 20:30 on the same date, an unidentified female suspect approached the two children in the absence of any adult supervision. The suspect then proceeded to abduct the children, leading them through various streets from District 1 to District 8, eventually boarding a taxi with them bound for the Saigon Pearl compound.
Acting swiftly, police officers successfully apprehended the suspect and safely reunited the children with their mother.
