Death Row Convict who has the Covid Virus has escaped from Prison

Nguyen Kim An (C) is brought out of the HCMC People's Court where he was sentenced to death for robbery and murder, June 2015. Photo by VnExpress/Binh Nguyen.

The police in HCMC are desperately searching for a 27-year-old death row convict infected with the Covid-19 virus who has escaped from the prison.

According to a report filed by VNExpress, Nguyen Kim An was sentenced to death for robbery and murder in June 2015, a police spokesperson said Thursday.

"He's 1.63 meters tall with short hair, fair skin and carries a limp due to an injury," the spokesperson said, not revealing any details about the escape.

Back in 2014, An lost his motorbike and computer, so he decided to poison one of his friends from school and steal his belongings as well.

Apparently on February 25, 2014, An bought five sleeping pills and invited his friend, Dat, to a cafe.

He then deliberately spiked a drink with the pills, but it was not enough to knock the friend out.

So the next day, he bought a stronger drug and invited the friend to his apartment in Tan Binh District.

This time, the spiked drink caused Dat to have a seizure. An then strangled Dat till he stopped moving. He took Dat’s iPhone, put his body into a bag and dumped it into the river from the Phu My Bridge in District 2.

Prisoner asked for Ransom

An then contacted the family, informed them that Dat had been kidnapped and demanded VND500 million as ransom. After a few days of pressing the family to pay, he stopped.

The murder came to light when another resident found the bag containing Dat's body. An was later arrested and confessed to his crime.

An was jailed at the Chi Hoa Prison in District 10, where at least 81 Covid-19 cases were detected among inmates and staff early this month.

Chi Hoa was originally built by the French colonial government in 1943 to replace Maison Centrale at the corner of Ly Tu Trong and Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Streets.

It has for long been considered one of the most secure prisons in Vietnam, with only two successful breakouts in its history.