Police officer admits to killing mistress, dumping body

Ngo Minh Thong (R) is escorted to the scene where he committed a murder, Jan. 4, 2023. Photo by police

Ngo Minh Thong, 29, has been detained for alleged murder, police in Ben Tre Province, which borders Tien Giang in the Mekong Delta, announced Thursday.

Speaking to Ben Tre investigators, Thong, a lieutenant at the criminal police unit in Tien Giang, said he had an affair with a woman at work.

The woman, 28, was working at the Ward 2 People’s Committee office in Cai Lay and had joined officers on several occasions to help local citizens complete police paperwork.

It was not clear how long the affair lasted, but Thong, who is married, said that lately, the two of them had several disagreements.

On the night of Dec. 27 last year, Thong drove a car to a vacant lot to meet the woman who had become his mistress.

The two quarreled about their relationship and at one point, Thong got angry and strangled the woman to death.

After that, he tied her hands, put her into a bag and drove her to Ben Tre Province, where he dumped her bound body off the Ham Luong Bridge into a river.

After that, he returned home and continued to live and work as normal.

Two days later, Ben Tre residents found the body and reported it to the police.

After three days of investigations, they identified Thong as the main suspect.

Ngo Minh Thong at a police station in Ben Tre Province. Photo by police

When the investigation was launched, Tien Giang revoked Thong’s police ID and suspended him from duty.

The victim, 29, was an active volunteer in Covid-19 fighting and prevention activities, said Pham Hoang Vu, chairman of Ward 2 in Cai Lay Town.

She was friendly and responsible and thanks to those qualities, she obtained a job at the ward’s local government office.

She was about to finish studying at a college in Ho Chi Minh City.

The police investigation is still ongoing.