A 23-year-old man wanted for a New Year’s Day double homicide in Siem Reap that also left one woman alive but seriously injured was arrested on Wednesday in the province’s Chi Kraeng district, police said yesterday.

The chief of the provincial serious crimes office, Duong Sokha, said Chea Sochean was arrested while attempting to leave Siem Reap in a shared taxi. All three of his alleged victims had their throats slit.

“After he committed the crimes, he went to Kampong Thom and threw the knife in the river,” he said, adding that police had also recovered two of three phones the suspect had stolen and sold.

The victims included two men – Khuy Sokhin, 27, and Veth Ratha, 25 – who were both killed, and a woman – Leng Srey Pov, 28 – who survived the attack and was able to identify the suspect. Sokha said Pov initially said the suspect had stolen $1,000 but later recanted the accusation. The suspect and the three victims worked for the Thai health product company bHIP and shared a house.

During questioning, Sokha said, the suspect said one of the victims persuaded him via Facebook to be a sales agent for the company, with a promise that he could earn between $500 and $1,000 a month.

Yet the company ended up demanding money from him, Sokha said, prompting him to become angry and kill the man who persuaded him to work there, and then those who witnessed the attack. Sokha said it was unclear what charges the man will face.