Nghệ An police dismantle major railway diesel theft ring

Police in Nghệ An province have dismantled a major criminal ring involved in stealing hundreds of thousands of liters of diesel from locomotives at Vinh Station. The operation resulted in the arrest of 21 individuals, marking one of the largest diesel theft cases in the history of the Vietnamese railway sector.

Investigators identified Nguyễn Đình Kiên, a train driver for the Hanoi Locomotive Enterprise, as the ringleader. Between July 2025 and July 2026, the group operated a sophisticated system involving underground pipelines buried beneath the railway tracks. Using 1.5-ton trucks equipped with 1,000-liter tanks, the group would siphon diesel from locomotives during late-night hours, typically between 0:00 and 5:00.

The stolen fuel was sold on the market at prices 2,800 to 4,000 VND lower than the standard market rate. The ring, which included train drivers, freelance laborers, gas station owners, and even a hospital technician, reportedly generated over 4.5 billion VND in illicit profits.