A woman named Thi Kim Tran, aged 45, was allegedly abducted from her home in Bankstown, Sydney, due to her partner’s links to an organised crime group and was tragically found dead in a burnt-out vehicle in Beverly Hills on April 17. Originally from Vietnam, Tran’s involvement appears to have stemmed solely from her partner’s criminal connections, particularly in relation to a drug manufacturing network.
NSW Police homicide commander, Joe Doueihi, stated that Tran’s partner was reportedly in conflict with his superiors in the crime organisation. The partner, who was away on business during the incident, is cooperating with the police’s ongoing investigation. He has a known history of minor drug-related offences.
Despite her partner’s involvement, investigators believe Tran herself was not engaged in any criminal activity. At the time of her abduction, she was at home with her young children, one of whom, an eight-year-old boy, remains in a medically induced coma after suffering a severe head injury from a baseball bat during the attack. The other child, a 15-year-old, is physically unharmed but is dealing with significant psychological trauma after witnessing the violent incident.
Doueihi characterised the level of violence in this case as both rare and unprecedented, labelling the perpetrators as callous and brutal. He emphasised the risks associated with involvement in organised crime, warning that such connections could endanger loved ones.
The investigation into the abduction and the crime group is a collaboration between NSW and Victoria Police. Recent searches at a property in Springdallah revealed evidence suggesting the presence of a drug lab, tying the ongoing investigation back to the drug manufacturing network predominantly comprised of local Vietnamese males.
Authorities are appealing to the public for any information related to Tran or the criminal elements involved in her tragic death.