A pregnant 18-year-old girl in Ho Chi Minh City lost her baby after being allegedly held hostage and brutally beaten by a group of three people over a VND1.6 million (US$68.8) owed by her elder brother.

Police in Binh Chanh District confirmed on Tuesday they had arrested Tran Nhat Khang, 19, and are hunting for Nguyen Minh Dung, 37, and Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huyen, 28, for being involved in the alleged violence.

The victim, H.N.Y., was still receiving treatment at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital in District 5 as of Wednesday afternoon, nearly one week after she was brought to the clinic following her miscarriage.

According to Y., Khang, Dung, and Huyen are all friends of her older brother. The victim herself has also hung out with them on some occasions.

The brother previously borrowed VND1.6 million ($68.8) from the three and repeatedly failed to pay up.

On March 22, Y. arrived at a house in Binh Chanh District to hang out with the three.

Dung then mentioned about the debt and told Y. to call her brother over.

He insisted that they would not let her go until her brother arrives.

But as the elder brother never showed up, Dung, Huyen, and Khang tied Y. to the staircase and tortured her by beating her with a wooden stick and burning her skin with a blowtorch repeatedly during the three following weeks.

“They keep calling my brother and forcing him to pay VND10 million [$430], while he only owes VND1.6 million,” Y. stated.

On April 10, Y. gave birth to her baby prematurely and the infant did not survive. The three suspects decided to take the girl to the hospital the following day.

Doctors have said the victim’s health has stabilized but she needs to remain at the infirmary for further care.

According to Y.’s father, his daughter got pregnant with a man whom she has been living with in the Mekong Delta province of Long An.

Since moving there, Y. rarely returns to her parents’ home in Ho Chi Minh City, the father added.

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