ALLEGED MOTOBIKE THIEF ZOOMS INTO CUSTODY

Police have arrested a man in Kandal province after he allegedly tried to swipe a motorbike last week. The motorbike’s owner said he parked his bike near a stream on the day in question with the aim of pumping water to irrigate his parched rice fields. While he was away, the suspect leaped onto the vehicle and reportedly rode off into the distance. However, the motorbike’s owner saw his vehicle being stolen and shouted loudly. After 15 minutes, local police were able to track down the suspect, who later said that it was the first time he had committed such a robbery. Other local villagers, however, claimed the suspect had stolen bikes on more than one occasion; several, in fact. Police are investigating.

KOH SANTEPHEAP

CAPITAL STREET SWEEPS CONTINUE UNABATED

Police in the capital’s Daun Penh district arrested 40 suspected vagrants Friday in street roundups aimed at “regulating society”, officials said. Those arrested included nine prostitutes, 15 homeless boys and girls and 11 beggars. Five of the boys were found with knives; police suspected them of carrying out robberies on passers-by in local parks. Officers said they had started an investigation focusing on the five boys and any potential accomplices they may have had in enacting their theoretical crimes.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

CARELESS DRIVER CAUSED DEADLY CRASH, COPS SAY

A mother and her 13-month-old child were killed instantly following a tragic accident in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district Saturday. Witnesses reported seeing a car speeding down the road before crashing into a motorbike. The bike’s driver was seriously injured, and a mother and child seated on the bike were killed. The car then veered off and crashed into the wall of a house and a tree, injuring three people in the car. Police said that the crash was caused by the car’s driver, who was allegedly drunk and careless.

KOH SANTEPHEAP

POLICE SAY SUSPECT GOT BUSY WHILE OUT OF JAIL

Police arrested a man in Takeo province on Friday, roughly two years after he was first accused of stealing gold from a vendor in Prey Veng province. The suspect was first arrested in 2008 but then mysteriously released by the court. The suspect said his release came as a result of his family providing the court with a handy payment of US$10,000. Police, meanwhile, claim that the suspect was responsible for a variety of robberies around the country, including some in Phnom Penh. Officers say they are investigating the case further to see if the suspect may have had any accomplices.

KOH SANTEPHEAP