Girlfriend flees, leaves boyfriend to face music

A phone thief in Phnom Penh who is clearly not a fan of Tammy Wynette’s Stand by Your Man fled as police tried to arrest her and her boyfriend, 18, on Saturday. Authorities say the pair were riding a motorbike when they snatched a mobile phone from the hands of a 43-year-old in a tuk-tuk. A call for help from the hapless victim – obviously not by phone – resulted in cops chasing down the thieves. Hearing freedom’s call, the girlfriend fled on the moto when an officer’s back was turned, leaving her boyfriend lonely in a jail cell. Koh Santepheap

Bad hand equals bad blood after card game

Also shunning the life advice contained in American country music staples, a 22-year-old in Battambang’s Phnom Prek district ignored the wisdom of Kenny Rogers’s The Gambler by glassing his opponent after losing $20 at cards on Saturday. The man, 22, stormed off after losing – claiming his opponent duped him – and returned with a glass bottle that he smashed over the skull of the victim, seriously injuring him. He was later arrested. Nokowat

Groovy grove is hang out spot for smoking

A banana plantation was a fitting place for a bunch of men to go on a bender on Saturday – until they slipped up and fell flat on their faces. Following reports that the Kampong Chhnang town plantation was a popular place to get high, police caught the four men enjoying yama, and arrested them. The men confessed and claimed they had bought the drugs from a local dealer. Kampuchea Thmey

Neither a borrower nor a lender of motos be

It's not the oldest trick in the book, but the “I-just-need-your-moto-to-take-my-mother-to-market” scam is, nonetheless, one to look out for. A 24-year-old dupe in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district discovered this when his supposed friend borrowed his wheels after the pair drank coffee together in November. The borrower was not seen again until last Friday when the victim spotted him and made a citizen’s arrest. Unfortunately, the moto had been long sold. Rasmei Kampuchea

Sand truck knocks over senior citizen in capital

A 77-year-old woman was critically injured when she was hit by a truck in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district on Friday night. Police said the woman was walking along the street to buy food at about 7:30pm when the sand truck struck her. The driver fled, and the woman was taken to hospital. Police said the driver had been speeding, and a street power outage had made visibility poor. Kampuchea Thmey

Translated by Phak Seangly