Police arrested two suspects yesterday in connection with the brutal rape and murder of an 18-year-old woman in Svay Rieng province last week.

Keo Sotha, provincial head of the penal crime bureau in Svay Rieng, said provincial police and officials from the Ministry of Interior’s Penal Crime Department arrested Chhoeuy Socheat, 36, in Svay Rieng province, and Phleak Mony, 32, in Phnom Penh yesterday. Both work as taxi drivers.

Eighteen-year-old Sovan Somalin, from Tbong Khmum province, went missing on her way to work at a casino in Bavet town after hiring a taxi, according to police.

Her body was found in a small pond, face-down and tied to a rock, with her pants hanging from one leg. Police said yesterday that the woman had been strangled with a scarf.

According to the National Police website, the authorities also confiscated a car, necklaces and a ring from the two suspects. Police said the suspects are in custody and will be sent to court.

Somalin’s case was one of several rapes or attempted rape cases reported by police over the weekend, illustrating how much work remains to be done to protect women and girls in the Kingdom, activists said.