Man digs up uncle's grave, steals bones, extorts family to pay off debt

A man in Vietnam went to extreme lengths to pay off his gambling debt by diggingup his late uncle's bones and using them to extort money from his family. He asked his family for 5 billion Vietnamese dong (US$203,000) which he wanted to pay off his gambling debt.

Luu Thanh Nam, from Thanh Hoa province in northern Vietnam, dug a 20cm hole in his uncle’s grave on September 9. He removed some of his uncle’s bones and placed them in a pile of rubbish in the area.

Vietnamese media outlet Daidoanket reported that the father of Nam’s cousin, Luu Thanh Hoi, had passed away four years back. Nam sent a threatening text message to his cousin's wife the next day using an anonymous phone number. He asked for money in return for the bones and warned her not to contact the police.

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The couple went to the grave and inspected it. They found a hole in the coffin cap and immediately reached out to law enforcement personnel.

An investigation started and Nam was found to be the culprit. On September 12, he was arrested for grave desecration and extortion.

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He confessed to his crime and told the police that he took the step because he was in huge debt. His punishment is yet to be announced.

The police found the bones and returned them to his cousin.

Grave desecration is considered highly disrespectful in Vietnamese tradition. People believe that the act can disturb the dead and also cause problems for the living.

After receiving the bones, Hoi buriedthem again in accordance with local customs to ward off any potential problems.

The offence can invite up to seven years in prison for the culprit in Vietnam. For extortion, one might face sentences of up to 20 years.

A similar incident was reported in China, when a man dug up a villager’s grave, stole his ashes and extorted money from the deceased person’s family.