A military officer was arrested early on Saturday morning for allegedly attempting to rob a neighbour in Sen Sok’s Toek Thla commune and sent to court yesterday, police said.

Toem Eang, 33, a military engineer, was caught in the home of a neighbouring civil servant at about 4am Saturday, after having entered the property to rob him.

“The victim saw him, telephoned and reported it to local police for intervention,” Sen Sok district police chief Major Mok Hong said. “He was arrested by police while still in the victim’s house.”

“He was accused of attempted burglary and sent to Phnom Penh Municipal Court for questioning and to be charged,” Hong added.

A commune police officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that in the suspect’s confession, he said he was a drug addict.

“The reason why he decided to enter the victim’s home was because he wanted to steal valuable items to sell in order to buy drugs.”