Police in the northern Vietnamese province of Thai Binh have arrested the director of a transport company for assault, destruction of property, and collection of ‘protection’ fees from other transport businesses operating along the Thai Binh-Hanoi route.

A source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper confirmed on Monday that the provincial Department of Public Security had apprehended Nguyen Van Cuong, 42, director of Phuc Cuong transport company.

Many officers were dispatched to the firm’s headquarters on Ly Bon Street in Thai Binh City for an examination earlier the same day.

A lot of weapons were confiscated at the venue and multiple documents were sealed to assist the investigation.

A large number of weapons are found at the headquarters of Phuc Cuong transport company in Thai Binh Province, Vietnam, December 14, 2020. Photo: Khanh Linh / Tuoi Tre

Another team of officers also searched the representative office of the company in Tien Hai District.

Preliminary investigation showed that Cuong was involved in the case where Nguyen Minh Lap, a 31-year-old driver of a passenger bus line, and a conductor were assaulted by a group of men along the Thai Binh-Hanoi route on December 12.

According to Lap’s report, he often encountered a group of strangers riding motorbikes and cars while carrying passengers along this route since late November.

Lap believed these people were hired by a competitor of his company.

The window of the passenger bus driven by Nguyen Minh Lap is broken after the vehicle was attacked with rocks in this supplied photo.

On December 6, Lap was waiting at a red light in Thai Binh City when two unidentified people approached and threw rocks at his coach, breaking a window of the vehicle.

The two then left on their motorbike, which had no license plate.

Regarding the incident on December 10, Lap said he had just left the Nam Trung Bus Station in Tien Hai District when his vehicle was blocked by an automobile.

Following an argument, two people on the car began attacking Lap and his bus conductor.

One of the attackers hit Lap with a metal baton, but he did not suffer any serious injury.

Further investigation is ongoing.

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