A self-proclaimed psychic from the northern province of Bac Ninh and his accomplice have recently been arrested for faking hundreds of sets of revolutionary martyr remains, causing public outrage.

Nguyen Van Thuy was arrested on October 28

Nguyen Van Thuy, and his wife, Man Thi Duyen, earned hundreds of thousands of USD from the Bank for Social Policies of Vietnam which cooperated with them in the searches from December 2007 to July 2013.

A report, prepared over two years, claims that the bank cooperated with Thuy to excavate fake remains of war martyrs to appropriate tens of billion dong from the budget during that time.

Hoang Cong Thai, head of the Department of National Devotees under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs, said between late 2012 and early 2013, Thuy and his wife “helped” the Bank for Social Policies of Vietnam find 73 sets of remains in Dak Lak, and couple collected VND75 million (USD3,570) each.

Local people gathering at Thuy's house in Bac Ninh Province when he was arrested

However, he said, that neither the local Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs nor the Ministry of Defense were informed of the work, and could not take action at the time.

Reportedly, a VTV investigation team revealed that this scam involves 105 graves in the cemetery of martyrs of three provinces, Bac Ninh, Dak  Lak and Binh Phuoc, all of which contained animal bones.

It has been reported that Thuy is a former police officer but was fired and jailed for abuse of power and fraud.

Le Nhu Tien, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Culture, Education, Youth and Children, said the investigation must not only clearly uncover Thuy’s violations but also people who supported him.

Thuy was searching for remains

“This case must be strictly dealt with so as to set an example for others. It is unacceptable to earn profits from revolutionary martyr remains,” he added, noting that the profits Thuy made came from the state budget, through cooperation with the Bank for Social Policies of Vietnam.

Speaking with reporters, Minister of Defense Phung Quang Thanh, said, “the Ministry of Defense does not use psychics for searching for revolutionary martyr remains, but based an array of information sources from veterans and localities.

The minister advised families who still have deceased relatives of the war should provide the Ministry of Defense with all pertinent information, adding that the search is free.

According to Minister Thanh, there should be a regulation making it mandatory to do ADN test before taken to cemeteries.