On November 25, Captain Tran Hoang Ngoi (31 years old), an officer of the Economic and Environmental Crime Investigation Police Team (Tra On District Police, Vinh Long) was still being treated at Can Tho Central General Hospital.

Captain Tran Hoang Ngoi had both legs amputated while chasing sand thieves. Captain Tran Hoang Ngoi is currently out of danger but is still in very poor health.

Mr. Le Thanh Phong (49 years old, brother-in-law of Captain Tran Hoang Ngoi) shared with the press, "After the surgery, Ngoi regained consciousness and was able to talk to relatives and colleagues."

According to Mr. Phong, the first thing Captain Tran Hoang Ngoi said after undergoing surgery was: "How are you, Mom?"

“Even though he knew he had lost both legs, my brother didn’t care. He was only worried that his parents at home would be shocked when they heard the news. When Ngoi spoke, everyone choked up…”, Mr. Phong said.

Mr. Le Thanh Phong added that on the afternoon of November 23, Captain Tran Hoang Ngoi returned home to eat dinner, then went to work at the office.

According to Mr. Phong, at around 10 p.m. the same day, the family received news that Ngoi was injured while on duty and was being treated at Can Tho Central General Hospital.

Everyone in the family quickly went to the hospital. However, when they saw Ngoi's injuries, the relatives were shocked because they saw how serious it was.

“The doctor said that he had to amputate both legs to save my brother’s life. My parents are over 70 years old, so when they heard the bad news about Ngoi, they were shocked. My mother cried and fainted several times because she was so emotional, and my father tried to hold back his pain. Today, my parents have accepted the truth," Mr. Phong shared.

Captain Tran Hoang Ngoi is the youngest of six siblings. Ngoi is always friendly, helpful, sociable, cheerful, has a simple lifestyle, is close to and united with his comrades, and is loved by his teammates.

To his family, Captain Tran Hoang Ngoi is always a role model and a filial son. Ngoi is a cadre who grew up from the grassroots, his grandmother is a Heroic Vietnamese Mother and his father is a war invalid.

Captain Ngoi's family situation is also difficult, his four sisters have their own lives but are all freelance workers.

"Our family hopes that Ngoi will recover soon. We hope that after he is fully recovered, the agency will arrange a job suitable for his physical condition and health," said Mr. Phong.

As reported by VietNamNet, at around 10pm on November 23, a patrol team of Tra On District Police consisting of 4 officers, including Captain Tran Hoang Ngoi, organized a patrol to ensure security and order on the Hau River. The patrol team discovered a wooden boat (no registration number) with 2 subjects illegally mining sand.

The patrol team signaled the vehicle to stop and fired warning shots, but the subjects stubbornly refused to obey the order and drove away.

The suspect's boat collided with the patrol boat, causing four police officers to fall into the river.

After that, 3 police officers were able to cling to the subjects' boat, but Captain Ngoi was seriously injured, with both legs severed, suspected to have been caught in the "propeller" of the subjects' boat. After the incident, the 2 sand bandits fled ashore.

Captain Ngoi was taken to the Can Tho Central General Hospital for emergency treatment. Due to the severity of Captain Ngoi's injuries, doctors had to amputate half of his right thigh and his left leg above the knee.

During the investigation, Tra On District Police detained two suspects, Cao Van Huyen (44 years old) and Khoa (21 years old), both residing in Binh Minh town.

Colonel Huynh Thanh Mong, Deputy Director of Vinh Long Provincial Police, visited and encouraged the family and Captain Tran Hoang Ngoi.

Police Captain's legs severed while arresting sand thieves. Sand thieves fiercely resisted and drove the boat away, causing it to collide with a patrol boat, causing 4 police officers to fall into the river. Captain Tran Hoang Ngoi had both legs severed by the "propeller" of the illegal sand mining vehicle.