PHNOM PENH: Cambodian police arrested four Chinese nationals and a Cambodian on charges of kidnapping and torturing a South Korean man in his 50s in Phnom Penh, local media reported on Tuesday (Sept 30).
According to the Khmer Times, the incident occurred in the popular Boeng Keng Kang district around 8.30pm local time on Sept 21.
The 51-year-old victim was returning to his car after visiting a coffee shop when the suspects emerged from a black vehicle and dragged him inside. A cafe security guard who witnessed the scene immediately alerted police.
Police later arrested a Chinese suspect who returned to the scene to drive the victim’s car. The following day, around 5pm, officers arrested three additional Chinese suspects and a Cambodian driver at a hotel in Phnom Penh.
During the arrests, police seized a K54 semi-automatic pistol, two magazines, nine rounds of ammunition, a steel pipe, three walkie-talkies, a rubber holster for a handgun, 112 narcotic pills, a device for drug use and two passports.
The five suspects were temporarily detained at the Boeng Keng Kang police station and will be sent to court on charges of kidnapping and illegal possession of weapons and drugs, authorities said.
Amid growing reports of fraud and detention of Koreans at scam compounds in Cambodia, the South Korean government raised its travel advisory for parts of the country on Sept 16.
The travel advisory to Phnom Penh was raised to Level 2 (discouraged) while Level 2.5 advisories were issued for Sihanoukville, Bokor Mountain and Bavet. - The Korea Herald/ANN
