In an atypical turn of events, a typical phone snatching prompted little concern among bystanders in the capital’s Meanchey district on Tuesday.

While a woman was on the back of her husband’s motorbike, she took out her phone to answer a call. In the middle of her chat, however, two men pulled close and plucked the device out of her palm.

The couple’s cries for help – often a sure-fire way to rally a dash of vigilante justice – fell on deaf ears, as villagers didn’t seem to give a hoot.

So the victims headed to the police station instead, to enlist the help of authorities.

Koh Santepheap