BANTEAY Meanchey provincial court released on bail on Wednesday a female business owner who allegedly detained a customer at her guesthouse and karaoke parlour after he failed to pay his account.

Ram Virak, police chief of Sisophon district, said yesterday that 32-year-old San Thon and his friend went to the karaoke parlour on Monday night in Preah Ponlea commune’s village 1.

San Thon admitted to not having money for the karaoke session and drinks, but went because his friend promised to foot the bill. After his friend bailed on the tab, Ram Virak said, San Thon ran into trouble with the karaoke parlour’s owner, 38-year-old Moeurn Sreypov.

“Since he didn’t have money, the shop’s owner didn’t let him go,” said Ram Virak. “So we decided to arrest both of them for questioning.”

Ram Virak added that the karaoke parlor owner admitted to keeping her customer overnight because he failed to pay, but said she “didn’t mean to detain him”.

Moeurn Sreypov was charged with illegal detention on Tuesday, while San Thon was charged with fraud. Police officials said that San Thon was being held in provincial prison on pretrial detention. So Vat, provincial prosecutor, could not be reached yesterday.