Police in Kandal province arrested a man on Tuesday for allegedly taking part in the gang rape of a 14-year-old garment worker the night before.

Daun Narin, a commune police chief in Kandal’s Ponhea Leu district, said that one of the four suspects, also a garment worker, was arrested at his home in neighbouring Kampong Speu province.

“We know the identity [of the other three suspects] and are seeking to arrest them,” he said.

“We will arrest them soon.”

Narin said that the underage victim and two of the suspects worked at the Wat O garment factory near Oudong town.

The presence of underage workers, who often falsify their birth date in order to get a job, remains a widespread phenomenon at factories.

After work on Monday evening, the two suspects called the victim and invited her to have drinks near Oudong market, eventually meeting up with another two men.

“At 8pm, the victim left a drinking spot to urinate in a nearby bush, and the suspects followed her and raped her, but the local villagers did not hear her yell for help,” said Narin.

Sreng Srong, Ponhea Leu district deputy police chief, identified the arrested suspect as Vy Sambath, 23.

The other suspects are Pov Kong, 22, a garment worker, along with construction workers Keo Kuy, 27, and Soeun Thol, 28.