Vietnam

A Vietnamese woman officially declared dead five years ago has been arrested after resurfacing, revealing a carefully planned insurance fraud worth over VND 1.2 billion, or about Rs 40 lakh.

The case surfaced on December 17 when Nguyen Thi Thu approached local authorities seeking cancellation of her death registration, shocking officials who confirmed she was legally declared dead in June 2020.

Police investigations showed Thu, born in 1984, divorced in 2017, lived with her mother, travelled for work, and bought four life insurance policies.

In 2020, after cancer diagnosis and family disputes, she allegedly planned to fake her death to claim insurance money and start anew.

Police said she staged a bathroom accident using sleeping pills, arranged a quick funeral, and fled that night, while her mother registered the death.

Insurance claims were filed the next day, leading to payouts exceeding VND 682 million and VND 600 million from two companies.

Without valid identity papers, the money was routed through relatives and used for property purchases and investments, police said.

During questioning, Thu confessed she abandoned suicide plans after learning insurance policies would not pay in such cases.

She admitted faking her death to take the money and disappear, investigators said.

Thanh Hoa police detained Thu and her mother, charging them with insurance fraud under Vietnamese law.

Authorities said the investigation continues, warning insurers and citizens against fraud schemes and stressing strict action to protect financial systems and public trust nationwide, reinforcing laws and accountability across the country today officially.