A primary school teacher will be sent to Kampot provincial court today after he was arrested on Friday night for allegedly threatening to kill the owner of a salt business unless she paid him US$150,000, provincial police said.

The 31-year-old male teacher was arrested along with two women, who were released yesterday morning, in Kampot province’s Kampong Tralach district on suspicion that they threatened to kill 42-year-old Lim Rita five months ago if she did not provide them with the money.

Sao Samoeun, deputy chief of the provincial justice department, said yesterday that provincial court officials decided to release the two women after it was found that they were not involved with the case.

“We collected the evidence and we found that … [the man] is the suspect who threatened the victim and attempted to take the money because the victim recorded his voice and phone number and he already admitted [to the crime],” Sao Samoeun said, adding that the suspect was being detained by police.

Last week, 42-year-old Lim Rita told police that she had received a letter five months ago demanding that she give $150,000 to the sender or they would plant a bomb which would kill her. Lim Rita said that she had negotiated with the suspect for about five months until the suspect had agreed to accept $30,000.

Sao Samoeun said earlier this week that after Lim Rita filed a complaint with local authorities, police arrested the suspect at her house as she was about to hand over the money.