Kampong Speu police arrest eight suspects over armed snatch thefts

Eight snatch theft suspects, including two women, who were armed with swords and sticks when committing crimes, were arrested by Kampong Speu police on Sunday in the province’s Chambak village in Samrong Tong district’s Voasar commune.

Kampong Speu provincial police chief Sam Samuon told The Post on Monday that police arrested 11 suspects in a crackdown in Samrong Tong district.

He said the suspects did not just snatch belongings of drivers along the road, but they targeted all people. He said police would take urine samples for drug testing.

Samuon said upon questioning, the suspects confessed to committing snatch theft crimes but claimed they had never harmed their victims.

Aged between 18 and 22, some suspects said they were from Chbar Mon town in Samrong Tong district, with some from other provinces.

“The arrests came after our investigation. We found that they had committed offences in Kampong Speu. Any crimes they [thought of], they just did,” he said.

Samrong Tong district police chief Khuth Sophal told The Post on Monday that before arresting the suspects, police had investigated rented houses in Chambak village and collected information from residents about their activities.

He said according to their confessions, they targeted mostly women droving in remote areas because they thought it would be easier to snatch their belongings.

“The locals told us that the suspects had been committing crimes, but we did not believe them [without proof]. So we placed secret agents to identify and investigate the area of their rented home.

“They left their rented house on two motorbikes and came back on three. This was how we confirmed that the information from locals was correct,” Sophal said.

He said in the operation, police seized items including six motorbikes, 14 machetes and knives, some wooden sticks, many different keys to motorbikes, and some motorcycle spare parts.