Hanoi - An online fling ended in murder after a Vietnamese youth realised his sweetheart was in fact a teenaged boy masquerading as a flirtatious 16-year-old girl, police said on Monday.
Tran Quoc Dung, 19, was arrested for killing 14-year-old Nguyen Bui Linh on July 15 outside an Internet cafe in Vinh City in the central province of Nghe An.
After discovering that his online partner was not the pretty "Phuong Anh", Dung abused Linh over the Internet and challenged him to a fight.
Five minutes later a burly Linh strolled over from a cafe on the opposite side of the road and punched Dung.
After recovering his senses and determined to save face, Dung and his 18-year-old friend Nguyen Binh Hung gave chase and stabbed Linh in the back. He later died in hospital from his injuries.
The pair, who came from well-off families, fled the city in a taxi but were both arrested the following day.
Internet cafes are popular haunts for Vietnamese teenagers wanting to flirt online and access pornographic sites. - Sapa-AFP