Police investigate a major insolvency case in Lang Son                                        By Anh The | dtinews.vn                    A couple in Lang Son City has recently been charged with having extorted hundreds of billions of VND from dozens of individual creditors.   Creditors gathering around the couple’s house in a bid to recover their debts Senior lieutenant-colonel Hoang Anh, head of Lang Son municipal police, told DTiNews on August 2 that 19 people have sent a petition to denounce Nguyen Van Trung, 46, and his wife, Ta Bich Lien, 40, for swindling a total of VND309 billion (USD14.6 million). “We’re completing the dossier of the case now, then we'll turn it over to the court for swindling and asset appropriation,” Anh said. After failing to settle their debts, the couple opted to flee, puzzling their creditors as many were worried that they may never recover their losses. However, Lang Son City’s Police, with the help of the relevant authorities, have found Trung in Haiphong’s Do Son area and Lien in Lang Son City. Now, both of them are being held in custody for further interrogation. Many of the victims said that in order to gain people’s confidence, the couple used various sophisticated tactics: especially claiming to have good relations with banking officials and generally enhancing their good image in the community. Right after being made aware of their bankruptcy, several banks in Lang Son City have scrutinised the couple’s loans, currently in their systems. BIDV Bank-Lang Son Branch, said the couple used a car as collateral for a VND1.7 billion (USD80,226) loan for 11 months. After being informed that the couple had fled, the bank co-ordinated with local police in order to seize the vehicle with the hope of retrieving their capital.   The couple currently held in custody To Bich Lien also had a debt of VND100 million (USD4,719) at Techcombank-Lang Son Branch. Initial investigation showed that since 2010 the couple had claimed that they were in desperate need of capital to settle their nearly due debt and were willing to borrow at a high interest rate of up to VND9,000 (USD0.42) per every million dong, per day. Dozens of people have lent them money, ranging from several million dong to hundreds of billions of VND. Some have even used their land and houses as collateral to get banks to lend the couple money. Initially, they often kept their promises and paid interest on time. Recently, however, they failed to settle their debts on schedule and asked for debt extensions several times. On July 19, they locked their house and ran away, forcing creditors to ask for help from the police. Despite having an extravagant lifestyle, the couple’s house is only a small and austere dwelling on Ba Trieu Street. A local woman, who owns a tea stand near the couple’s house, said that the couple became prosperous over the last few years. Many of them thought they traded in ores and gold, but it turned out they just invented major business ventures in order to borrow money easily. “They’re very kind to their creditors, giving expensive gifts on special days and maintaining good relationships with local residents. Many have even borrowed from others to lend the couple money on which they can earn interest,” she commented. Their creditors are from various classes in society, ranging from motorbike drivers, tea and cake sellers to extremely rich people who lent the couple hundreds of billions VND. They have even taken money from desperate people such as an elderly woman who was saving money for the treatment of a cerebral aneurysm.