The mutilated and burned body of a man was discovered in Battambang’s Phnom Proek district on Sunday morning, though police are calling it a straightforward case of robbery and murder.

Sareth Viseth, deputy district police chief, said the body of victim Sok Vanda, 20, was found on a pile of hay near a farm on the outskirts of town. Vanda’s motorbike was missing, leading Viseth to conclude the motive was robbery likely by drug addicts.

“The victim’s head was smashed open by a rock. His eyes had been stabbed with a screwdriver that we found nearby. The body was laying downward and both legs were completely burned. We also found a plastic bag with ice [crystal meth],” he said.

Viseth claimed the damage to the victim’s body was done in an attempt to destroy evidence.

The police also concluded that the perpetrators and the victims were friends, as the spot was secluded, and theorised that they went there to take drugs together that night.

“The place is very quiet, only those who know each other dare go there at night. They went there to take drugs . . . We identified three suspects, but we haven’t arrested them because they are on the run,” Viseth said.

He added that police plan to interview the victim’s parents after the funeral.