On November 21, the National Police of Cambodia announced that they had successfully dismantled a dangerous criminal gang of 8 Cambodian men. The group is accused of impersonating law enforcement officers to carry out a series of kidnappings and blackmail cases targeting foreigners in the capital Phnom Penh.
According to the report, these subjects disguised themselves as police or soldiers to approach and arrest the victims at many different locations in the city and then demand ransacks.
The latest case occurred at 3:20 a.m. on November 5. The victim was Long Jun, a 29-year-old Chinese citizen living in an apartment building in Boeung Keng Kang district. The group of suspects kidnapped Mr. Long and successfully extorted more than 50,000 USD.
Recognizing the seriousness of the incident, Phnom Penh Criminal Police established a special project to fight.
On November 19, a large-scale search campaign was launched in coordination with the police of 14 inner-city districts and police units in many neighboring provinces such as Kandal, Takeo, Kampot, Siem Reap and Preah Sihanouk. As a result, the authorities arrested 8 suspects simultaneously.
At the investigation agency, the subjects admitted to successfully carrying out 6 kidnappings and blackmail cases.
The authorities seized a large number of exhibits proving the group's professional crimes, including: 2 Toyota Prius cars, 4 Pistols (including 2 Glock 19, 1 Sig Sauer and 1 Springfield Armory gun) along with 38 bullets, 7 pairs of 8 ropes and 4 Royal Guard uniforms and fake Warrior ID cards.
An alarming detail during the investigation is the identities of the suspects. The authorities identified 4 out of 8 arrested subjects as private drivers for Chinese customers. This raises questions about whether they take advantage of their positions to grasp the schedules, habits and financial capabilities of their own employers to plan crimes.
Currently, the suspects are being detained by the Criminal Police to complete the prosecution, facing severe sentences for kidnapping, blackmail and illegal possession of weapons.
