An alleged police impersonator will be sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday after he was said to have threatened a drug test to extort money from a motorcyclist.
Por Sen Chey district police said the 24-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday on National Road 4 in Phnom Penh’s Chaom Chao III commune.
District police chief Yim Saran said he had received the case from his Chaom Chao III commune counterpart.
Saran said impersonating a police officer was a serious offence as it tarnished the honour of law enforcement agencies.
“We have finished questioning the suspect and are building a case to send him to court. He said he loves the police uniform and enjoyed acting as a police officer. He said he buys police uniforms from Phsar Teuk Thla to wear,” Saran said on Wednesday.
Choam Chao III commune police chief Theng Kosal said on Wednesday that his officers had arrested the suspect, who had been impersonating a police captain.
He had chased a 24-year-old motorcyclist on a black Honda Dream and pulled him over, before threatening to arrest the man and test him for drugs unless he handed over money to end the matter, Kosal said.
He said the victim told police he had been riding east to west along National Road 4 from the Chaom Chao roundabout when the fake cop gave chase and forced him to stop.
The motorcyclist informed the real police who went to the scene and arrested the imposter. He was taken to the Chaom Chao III commune police station for questioning, where he admitted the offence.
