Vietnamese fugitive wanted by Interpol for property scam arrested in Thailand

A Vietnamese fugitive wanted under an Interpol Red Notice over an alleged property scam was arrested on a Thai holiday island.

Tang Ngoc Nho, 50, was entrusted to sell properties across 10 projects in his home country.

But after selling the real estate, he allegedly failed to hand over the 80 billion VND (3m USD) profits to the landowners, keeping the money for himself as he fled to Thailand.

Police in Lao Cai obtained an arrest warrant for Tang on May 12, with Interpol later issuing a Red Notice seeking his arrest.

The alleged fraudster was then traced to resort island Phuket, where he was arrested in a mall on October 6.

Footage shows Interpol, immigration, and tourist police officers detaining the pot-bellied fugitive, seen in the video wearing a white shirt, black pants, and black shoes.

He was taken into custody by the Immigration Bureau's Investigation Division and will be extradited to Vietnam, where he is expected to face prosecution.

Police Lieutenant General Noppasin Poolsawat, commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said: ‘This arrest was part of the Maharlika 5 operation, which is a collaboration between the Royal Thai Police and Interpol from October 5 to 8.

‘This was to crack down on individuals under Red Notices and transnational threats in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as to enhance security measures ahead of the World Bank meeting in Thailand.

‘Additionally, Vietnamese police provided information that the suspect had a history of a similar offence in 2020, causing damage of approximately 15 billion dong.

‘They also found information regarding the sale of several other land plots where he was accused of embezzling funds.

‘The estimated damage in this portion was around 200 billion dong, or around 260 million baht, along with other real estate that is under investigation.'