Lothario first stole her heart, then her moto

It was no coincidence that a 20-year-old woman in Pailin town lost her moto and her boyfriend on the same day. Police said the woman and her beau went out to sing karaoke on Tuesday night and, when the woman woke up on Wednesday morning, she found her partner and vehicle gone. Police so far have been unable to find the heart- and wheels-stealer. Koh Santepheap

Border province once more safe for footwear

Three thieves of shoes and mobile phones in Banteay Meanchey province’s Poipet town learned the consequences of walking and talking on someone else’s dime on Monday. After market vendors complained they routinely lost their cell phones and shoes in their place of business, police conducted a search and apprehended the trio, who said they’d been at it for a while. Police sent them to court and vendors are once more free to kick off their shoes and get comfortable. Rasmey Kampuchea

Police flush with victory after betting den bust

The odds weren’t so good for about 10 gamblers when tipped-off police raided their den in Kampong Cham town and ended up arresting four of them on Tuesday. Police said neighbours complained the bettors were spending all their time playing cards and not taking care of their families. When police came knocking, a few of the card players escaped, while two men and two women came up craps and were sent to court. Kampuchea Thmey

Christmas crash lands careless driver in court

A 23-year-old man did not exactly spread the Christmas cheer on Tuesday when he drove his moto into a man on a bicycle in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district. Police said that the moto’s driver was chatting away with his girlfriend on the way to a Christmas party and wasn’t paying any attention to the road when he collided with the man, seriously injuring him. Police sent the careless driver to court, where a lump of coal from the judge no doubt awaits. Kampuchea Thmey

Traffickers were good, just not good enough

Three police in Phnom Penh’s Russey Keo district pounced on two drug traffickers who had long evaded them on Tuesday. In exchange for taking two packages of drugs from the suspects’ house, the cops paid the two a compliment, saying the duo were very talented at what they did. In fact, police said for a long time they had been hard-pressed to find enough evidence to arrest the pair. The bashful traffickers admitted to the crime and were sent to court. Kampuchea Thmey

Translated by Sen David