A Buddhist layman was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly attempted to rape a 10-year-old girl in her Phnom Penh home, police said yesterday.

Tuy Tin, 39, who served in pagodas by collecting donations, was detained by Russey Keo district police after locals raised the alarm upon hearing the child’s cries for help.

Russey Keo district police chief Teang Chansa said if the authorities had not arrived, the suspect may have been beaten to death by an angry mob.

“He sexually assaulted her. He dragged the girl into a room and intended to rape her while her parents were out working,” Chansa said.

“He was a little beaten up by the villagers, and he was lucky that we had come in time to arrest him. If not, he might have been killed, because the villagers hated the crime he committed against the underage girl.”

Ministry of Cults and Religions spokesperson Uong Vibol said he condemned the alleged abuse but highlighted it was the personal actions of an individual, not the institution, and was now in the hands of police and the courts.