Hanoi: In a first-of-its-kind fraud, a Vietnamese woman paid a friend to cut off her hand and foot in a bid to claim a handsome insurance payout, media reported yesterday. The woman, identified only as LTN, checked into a Hanoi Hospital in May with one thirds of her left foot and left hand severed.

The 30-year-old then submitted a claim to her insurance company for 3.5 billion dong ($1,30,000).