A slippery scoundrel slinked away with the family jewels in the capital’s Choam Chao commune on Thursday, while the owners slept nearby.

A man and his wife had bequeathed the master bedroom to their niece, who awakened when a man entered with a cell phone flashlight.

Initially assuming the intruder was her uncle, the girl’s suspicions were eventually aroused.

When she asked the man who he was, the furtive pilferer fled into the night with some $2,000 worth of jewellery.

The dispossessed husband reported the robbery to police, who are investigating the home invasion.

KOH SANTEPHEAP