An officer in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and his wife were arrested yesterday on suspicion of killing a woman in Phnom Penh over an unpaid loan of US$10 (40,000 riel), local police said.

Teuk La Ok commune police chief Sin Bunry said 37-year-old noodle seller Taing Channy died after being beaten by Prum Somaly, 31, and her husband, 28-year-old military captain Pat Sambath, because she was unable to return money she borrowed to pay for her husband’s medical care.

Pat Sambath and his wife, a pharmacy owner in Phnom Penh, are being detained by Tuol Kork district police on suspicion of intentional murder, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, police said.

Sin Bunry said the suspects are likely to be sent to Phnom Penh Municipal court today.