Two men visiting relatives in Ratanakkiri’s Provincial Prison were arrested by guards on Saturday afternoon after exchanging with an inmate shoes that had saw blades concealed in the soles, according to authorities.

Laban Siek commune police chief Yat Doeun said the two suspects – Som Hak and Dom Phon, both 21 – denied knowledge of the hidden escape implements, saying “the shoes were sent to [the] prisoner from his wife”. He added that the prison guards arrested the suspects on the spot and turned them over to the commune police.

“They bought a pair of flip-flops, cut the soles, and put two halves of a saw in between them. Then they fixed it with glue. When the prison officials checked the things they brought to the prison, they found the shoes suspicious. They cut the shoes and found the saws,” said Peng Savuth, deputy police chief of Banlung district.

“As I understand, the materials were intended to free the prisoner. They would use the saw to escape step by step,” Savuth said, adding that he did not believe the prisoner’s wife had actually sent the shoes.

Doeun said the case will be forwarded to the court today.