A woman was arrested by police yesterday evening on suspicion of murdering her friend at Takeo province’s popular Tonle Bati tourist spot a week earlier.

Chea Socheat, 23, a contractor at the provincial tourism department, was found floating in Tonle Bati lake, with multiple cuts to her throat, by local shopkeepers on July 20.

Srey Ny, 25, was one of the last people to be seen with Socheat, but police initially failed to locate the native of Bati district’s Chambak commune.

However, district police chief Ngan Sary said she was identified through analysis of the victim’s phone records and eventually tracked to Kampot, where she had gone to stay with her father.

“Witnesses in Takeo also gave us some information that on the day of the incident, the suspect left Tonle Bati with blood stains on her shirt, but went to a market to buy a new one to change into,” Sary said, adding that she was finally arrested in Kampot’s Angkor Chey district with the cooperation of Kampot provincial police.

“It’s a case of robbery and murder. The victim’s necklace, bracelet, iPhone 5 and motorbike were all missing,” Sary continued, adding that police were still questioning the subject at the district police station yesterday evening.