Police in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district are investigating the killing of two young women whose bodies were found bound, strangled and stabbed yesterday after they had been missing from their homes since Monday, police said.

The decomposing bodies of victims Vorn Sreyleak and Nguon Srey Leakhana, which were stumbled upon by a construction worker, were tied together with electrical wire, with rope around their throats and stab wounds to the backs of their heads, according to police, family members and neighbourhood residents.

“We are still investigating the case, and we have not identified the perpetrators,” said Mak My, police chief of Kraing Thnong commune.

Another officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the crime was likely motivated by money, as the victims’ possessions had been stolen.

“This is a murder-robbery case, I think,” he said. “However, our expert officials are still working more.”

Vorn Sokpom, 25, speaking from her sister Sreyleak’s cremation ceremony, said her sister hadn’t been seen or heard from since 9am on Monday morning, when she had left her school. Sreyleak had said she was going to a party with a friend, but Sokpom did not know if she ever made it there, as the friend did not attend the funeral, she added.

“The friend did not come. If he came, he might know what happened; [or] he might not know,” she said, noting that Sreyleak had been robbed of an iPhone 5 and nearly one damlung of jewellery.

Nguon Phy, Leakhana’s father, said that his daughter had also been robbed of about a damlung of gold, as well as her new motorbike.

“Until now, police are still investigating, so we can’t say anything. What I saw was that my child’s neck was tied with hammock rope, and the back of her head was stabbed many times with a knife,” he said. “I would like to appeal to authorities to arrest the perpetrators.”

Leakhana and Sreyleak studied at Methodist School of Cambodia and lived in Phnom Penh’s Thmey commune.