Police in Battambang province’s Sampov Loun district are searching for two more suspects after one of their accomplices was arrested in connection with the beheading of a young man at the quarantine centre in O’Lvea village of the district’s Chrey Seima commune on the night of January 1.

District police chief Tim Vichay told The Post on January 2 that the suspect, 29, allegedly took part in the killing of Je Jak, 23, who resided in Ponlei commune’s Svay village in Phnom Srok district of neighbouring Banteay Meanchey province.

Vichay said the victim and the perpetrators were all migrant workers returning from Thailand. They were in a quarantine centre together in Chrey Seima commune’s O’Lvea village.

“There were three perpetrators, but we have arrested one. We are now searching for the other suspects to bring them to justice,” he said.

“They were all workers returning from Thailand but they had not been vaccinated in Thailand. Therefore, the Sampov Loun district authorities required them to go into quarantine,” he said.

The district police chief said the dispute happened after 9pm on January 1 between the workers who were staying at the quarantine centre after arriving there on December 25.

He said the victim made a gesture that the group of suspects interpreted as mocking them, but the conflict appeared to be settled after mediation. However, about 15 minutes later one of the suspects took out a samurai sword from his belongings and cut the victim’s head off.

Asked where the migrant workers got the sword from, the district police chief said the migrant workers came in large numbers and all of them had suitcases and backpacks, which could have led to officials failing to check all of their baggage.

He said it was also difficult to search the migrants or their belongings because they were at high risk for carrying the coronavirus, so the officials preferred to keep their distance and were hesitant to search their luggage.