PHNOM PENH: Provincial police in Battambang are continuing their search for the driver of a luxury car reportedly involved in a deadly traffic accident that left six people dead — including an unborn child — and one seriously injured, after fleeing the scene immediately following the crash.
The incident, involving a 2020 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT53 bearing Cambodian license plate C.S.6168, took place at around 10.40pm on March 27, in Korkoh village and commune, Moung Russei district. The car collided with two Honda Dream motorcycles which were reportedly returning from a concert in Moung Russei town.
“Following the incident, district police, in cooperation with the provincial traffic police office, arrived at the scene. The driver fled, leaving his vehicle behind,” explained a police spokesperson.
Through the vehicle’s license plate, authorities identified the registered owner as a Phnom Penh resident named Seiv Cheyseth, born in 2006.
Police contacted his father, a senior police official, who confirmed the car belonged to his son and that he had driven from Phnom Penh to Battambang on the day of the incident.
The case has drawn widespread comment, with many members of the public suggesting that a culture of impunity sees wealthy or connected criminals escape justice.
To counter this, Prime Minister Hun Manet has personally weighed in on the case, ordering a thorough investigation to identify the actual driver of the vehicle and demanding that the law be strictly enforced.
“The individual who drove the vehicle and caused the deaths of all six victims must be found and held accountable in accordance with the law, to provide justice to the victims,” he said.
Ministry of Justice spokesperson Chin Malin noted that the ministry leadership had assigned a volunteer lawyer to provide free legal assistance to the families of the victims killed in the tragic hit-and-run.
“On behalf of the working group in Moung Russei district, Battambang province, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the six victims and pray that their souls rest in peace,” he said, via social media.
A Battambang police spokesperson added that authorities are continuing to gather additional evidence, through roadside CCTV cameras as well as other sources, to determine whether Cheyseth was the driver responsible for the crash.
Police confirmed that investigations remain ongoing and that efforts are being intensified to locate the suspect and bring him to justice.
Authorities have also called on the public to provide any information that could assist in identifying his whereabouts, while his family claim no knowledge of his whereabouts. - The Phnom Post/ANN
