Sixteen men from Taiwan and one woman from mainland China suspected of electronics cross-border extortion were arrested on Friday by police, who expect to send them to Phnom Penh Municipal Court today or tomorrow.

The Ministry of Interior’s Department of Intelligence arrested the foreign nationals in a raid on a Sen Sok district villa rented by the daughter of General Thach Sem, Municipal Police Chief Choun Sovan said yesterday, adding that “police are questioning the suspects before they are sent to the municipal court”.

Department of Intelligence Deputy Director Toun Sarea, who led Friday’s crackdown, told the Post that police confiscated 55 mobile phones, seven laptops, a Lexus and other gadgets.

Nine of the phones and one laptop were damaged by suspects in order to eliminate the evidence, he added.

The contents of the suspects’ remaining phones and computers have to be translated before the suspects can be charged, he said. 

To contact the reporter on this story: Kim Sarom at [email protected]