Vietnam Reports An Increase In Gambling Related Abductions
The Vietnamese Police have reported a surge in debt-related kidnappings resulting in a nationwide search for several missing persons in the capital of Hanoi. This has also been noticed by casino staff who have witnessed and attempted to prevent multiple abductions of individuals. Most of the time the victims are adult male’s but there have been a few cases of female kidnapping which raises extra concern for the authorities. This is one of the darkest times in the Asian gambling sector and the governing body are desperate to fix the mess caused by this series of criminal activity.
The Vietnamese Police have reported a major increase in kidnappings related to gambling debts. Loan sharks are a common problem in parts of Asia and Australia, but Vietnam has never seen this level of crime before. The national gambling board are in communication with the continental body to put a stop to this horrific crime. ©Ichigo121212/Pixabay
Most of the abduction cases have been reported in and around Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The city also has the greatest concentration of casinos and gambling halls than anywhere else in the country meaning gangs have set up to scam people out of their money and trap them into impossible repayments. The violent actions of these gangs has caught the attention of national police and the secret service agency who are launching a thorough investigation to discover the culprits behind the abductions. Most importantly they authorities want to find the missing people.
The problem has escalated since the start of the pandemic and even when the casino and gambling halls were closed, they continued to conduct their seedy operations and made more money than most legitimate businesses during 2020. The gang issue in Hanoi has been prevalent in the city for years, rivaling the syndicates in New York and Tokyo in terms of longevity, and the police have managed to connect many of their associates to this latest spree of abductions. The police and gangs have an age-old rivalry dating back to the late 1800s.
While land-based casino have only just reopened, the level of gambling debt and overall consumer spending has increased in the last few months. These statistics shocked market analysts as they forecast a considerable drop-in user activity, however the result has been the complete opposite and the Vietnamese betting industry is already in a resurgence phase. Despite the overall financial difficulty of the last couple years, Hanoi casino goers have managed to eclipse major cities including Tokyo and Beijing in terms of consumer revenue this year.
These cases have also made a connection to the Japanese police as national authorities believe these organizations are trafficking abductees over to Japan and handing them to the Yakuza. A horrific though nonetheless but these are just suspicions and nothing is confirmed as of yet. Vietnam’s chief of police recently explained in a public press conference that the investigation is still in preliminary stages, and it may be a while before they can understand the full extant of the crime syndicates casino connections.
Hanoi Becomes A Hotbed For Crime
It’s not unusual for cities to have the highest concentration of organized crime but Hanoi takes these expectations and obliterates them. It is now one of the worst affected capitals in the world rivaling Bangkok and Shanghai for highest levels of gang activity. Several cases have been reported this week including an incident where a young male was rescued by police after he was abducted for owing over 900,000 yen. While he is one of the lucky ones, many others aren’t so fortunate and end up as victims of the criminal underground network.
Some of the victims have been forced to return to Vietnam after losing their jobs in Japan due to the pandemic. The knock-on effect then leads to borrowing money from criminal gangs and when the individual cannot repay them their life is endangered. Many then flee back to Vietnam and the Yakuza use their friends in Hanoi to carry out their dirty work on their behalf. The police have promised to resolve the situation as soon as possible and the integrity of Vietnam’s casino industry is at stake.
