Police in Tra Vinh Province, located in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, have arrested a man for duping people into buying ‘black copper,’ including attempts to trick two companies into purchasing the copper for a combined US$75 billion.
A source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper confirmed on Monday that the provincial Department of Public Security had apprehended and initiated legal proceedings against Kim Anh, 53, who resides in Phuoc Hung Commune, Tra Cu District, for fraud and appropriation of property.
Police investigation showed that a Tra Vinh man named Thach Khone asked Thach Ngoc Tra, who also resides in the province, to help him purchase ‘black copper,’ also known as meteorite stone, in 2012.
Khone promised to pay Tra for arranging the deal.
In 2014, Tra was introduced to Anh, who claimed to have a meteorite stone that was given to him by his grandfather.
Anh said that the stone was kept in a secret place and refused to show Tra directly, but instead let him watch a video clip of the object.
In the video, a black metal object was kept inside a plastic jar filled with water and was able to move up and down on its own.
Tra believed it was a meteorite stone and told Khone about it, who then contacted a person in Ho Chi Minh City for confirmation.
Tra later asked Anh to show him the stone, but the latter refused, explaining that the stone was buried inside his yard and could only be dug up after the buyer could visit the house several times and give it offerings.
During the first ritual, Anh told Tra to give him VND30 million ($1,300) to buy offerings.
Anh then made up different excuses to delay the trade and tricked Tra into giving him more money.
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Source: Vietnam Insider