The Kampong Chhnang Provincial Court on Thursday ordered the detention of four staff of LOD Real Estate on charges of aggravated theft and deliberately damaging the property of others. Fresh News
The Kampong Chhnang Provincial Court on Thursday ordered the detention of four staff of LOD Real Estate on charges of aggravated theft and deliberately damaging the property of others.
Hang Socheat, the provincial Military Police’s judicial bureau chief, told The Post on Thursday that Heng Kongkea, 28, is the head of the LOD Real Estate branch in the province.
Kongkea has a staff of three working under him – Ven Sarith, 27; Nhes Sarin, 21; and Ean Vanna, 27.
Provincial Military Police personnel arrested the three on Tuesday afternoon for seizing a motorcycle of their debtor without permission.
He said that according to a complaint by Leang Kimchheang, 20, a resident in Cholkiri district’s Cholsa commune, on the afternoon of the incident, he was seeking to borrow money from his relatives for his motorcycle payments when the trio rushed to his house to seize the motorcycle. The three LOD staffers said they did so because Kimchheang failed to pay the interest on his payments for three months.
Socheat relayed a statement made by Kimchheang to police: “They cut off the chain of the motorcycle. I chained it for fear that it might be stolen. Later, they walked the motorcycle to the house of the village chief. They forced me to pay the remaining fees on the motorcycle. Otherwise, they would seize it even though I paid half of the principle.”
Socheat said: “During questioning, the three credit staffers said they cut off the chain to seize the motorcycle without permission from the debtor on the orders of the head of the LOD branch in Kampong Chhnang.”
Having received the confessions, provincial court prosecutor Ith Sothea also ordered the detention of Heng Kongkea, the head of the LOD branch for questioning.
Socheat said: “This company also has a lawyer. But in this case, they are unlikely to have legal counselling with their lawyer. Their activities constitute a criminal offence. Kampong Chhnang provincial court prosecutor Ith Sothea decided to charge them with aggravated theft and damaging property of others under Articles 353,357 and 410 of the Criminal Code. Investigating judge Than Leng decided to place them in pre-trial detention.”
Phuong Navuth, a lawyer for the LOD branch, could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
