Vietnamese man digs up uncle’s grave in durbing attempt to settle gambling debts, arrested | Trending

In a shocking case from northern Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa province, 37-year-old Luu Thanh Nam was arrested for stealing bones from his uncle’s grave and attempting to extort money from his family. The man reportedly demanded 5 billion Vietnamese dong (£167,000) from his extended family to repay gambling debts. A man in Vietnam stole his uncle’s bones to extort £167,000 for gambling debts.(Pixabay) The incident, which occurred on 9 September, was reported the South China Morning Post. Nam’s uncle, who had died four years prior, was the father of his cousin, Luu Thanh Hoi. (Also read: Vietnamese man with chronic headaches had chopsticks in brain) Grave desecration and threatsArmed with a shovel, Nam dug a 20cm hole in his uncle’s grave and removed a portion of the remains. He then hid the bones in a near rubbish pile before sending an anonymous message to Hoi’s wife, threatening never to return the remains unless the family paid the ransom. In a chilling warning, Nam also cautioned the family against involving the authorities, claiming they would lose the remains forever if they did so. Alarmed the threats, the family checked the grave and discovered the durbance. Upon finding the coffin cap damaged, they immediately contacted the local authorities. Swift police actionFollowing a swift investigation, the police identified Nam as the culprit. Overwhelmed gambling debts, he confessed to the crime. Authorities recovered the stolen bones and returned them to the family, allowing them to reinter the remains according to local customs. (Also read: TikTok influencer cleans abandoned grave in viral video: ‘Everyone deserves a beautiful resting place’) On 12 September, Nam was formally arrested on charges of grave desecration and extortion. In Vietnam, desecration of graves can lead to a prison sentence of up to seven years, while extortion charges could carry a penalty of up to 20 years, depending on the severity of the crime. Disrespecting traditionIn Vietnamese culture, durbing a grave is seen as deeply disrespectful, as it is believed to disrupt the peace of the deceased’s soul and bring misfortune to the living. After recovering the remains, Hoi reburied his father in line with traditional customs, hoping to restore peace to his spirit.