A THAI national was arrested Monday on suspicion of strangling a 20-year-old Cambodian woman to death in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district over the weekend.

The killing occurred on Saturday night at the Ly Hour Guesthouse, where the suspect and victim were staying together.

“The suspect is now being detained temporarily at our district police station for questioning relating to a murder case at Ly Hour Guesthouse, where he shared a room with the murdered woman on Saturday night,” said Daun Penh district police Chief Yim Socheat.

The suspect, who worked as an air-conditioner technician for Canadia bank, entered Cambodia on April 18.

Yim Socheat added that the suspect has not yet been charged with murder but is currently under investigation.

“The suspect didn’t confess to the murder, but he confessed to having a relationship with the girl for a while at a massage club which he used to frequent,” he said.

However, Psar Thmey commune police Chief Nou Punthol said he believes that the suspect is involved in the murder.

Nou Punthol said that with cooperation from the owner of the guesthouse, police were able to identify the suspect and apprehend him near his workplace after the victim’s body was found on Sunday morning.

“Her family learned about the sad news on Sunday mornin,” he said. “They requested that the killer be brought to justice.”