Three suspects in the murder of a Japanese man who was killed outside of his Phnom Penh apartment building in March after having won a large amount of money gambling at NagaWorld casino were arrested by police last week while two more remain on the run, according to Interior Ministry officials.
In Sokcheng, 22, and Pov Noch, 28, were both arrested inside NagaWorld casino Tuesday and have confessed to being part of a group that conspired to kill 44-year-old Japanese businessman Kitakura Kosei on March 3, according to Major General Chhay Sinarith, director of the internal security department at the Ministry of Interior. Maj. Gen. Sinarith said a third suspect was arrested on Thursday but could not recall his name.
The three men are being held in pretrial detention at Prey Sar prison after they were questioned at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, he said.
“In Sokcheng confessed that his group killed the Japanese man and on April 18, our police arrested another suspect, but the two hit men are still at large,” Maj. Gen. Sinarith said.
Police believe that Mr. Sokcheng and Mr. Noch were in NagaWorld casino to repeat their scheme of scouting out and robbing big winners, he added.
Eyewitnesses to the murder said that two men on motorcycles followed Kitakura Kosei back to his apartment on Street 288 in Bong Keng Kang 1 commune, where he was returning home in a tuk-tuk at about 1 a.m. The two assailants confronted the Japanese national and attempted to steal a black bag from him. When he resisted, one of the gunmen shot him twice. Kitakura Kosei died on the way to Phnom Penh’s military hospital.
Brigadier General In Bora, chief of the penal police department at the Ministry of Interior, said police have confiscated the gun that they believe was used in the murder, though he did not say how it was found.
“We confiscated one K-59 handgun along with six bullets, two motorbikes and one tuk-tuk. One of the motorbikes was among the two that [the hitmen] were riding when they robbed the victim, and our analysis of the handgun found that this gun was used to kill the victim,” said Brig. Gen. Bora.
He said In Sokcheng was believed to be the mastermind of the group and that police were still searching for the two men suspected of actually murdering Kitakura Kosei.
