Six men were arrested in Battambang on the weekend following the gang rape on Friday of a 23-year-old woman who was pulled off the street while walking home after watching a film. Moung Russei district police on Saturday arrested the men, who are being detained at the provincial police station while police continue to search for another suspect. Kith Heang, Moung Russei district police chief, said district police were informed of the sexual assault after the victim’s mother filed a complaint to commune police officers. “They raped her and then burned the pile of straw [on which she was assaulted] before they walked away from her,” he said. Kith Heang said the six arrested suspects, aged between 19 and 29, lived in the same area and were known to the victim. Sok Phal, deputy national police chief, last week said the number of rape cases nationwide had increased over the past year. “There were 310 rape cases in 2010, increased from 2009 where there were 241 cases,” Sok Phal said.