In the latest abduction case to hit Cambodian casinos, police arrested four Chinese nationals on Monday and rescued a 17-year-old Chinese boy who had been held captive in Poipet City over a gambling loan, officials said on Wednesday.
“We arrested four Chinese nationals and sent them to the court in the morning,” said Or Lun, deputy Banteay Meanchey provincial police chief, declining to comment further.
The suspects lured the victim into debt as he gambled at the Star Vegas Casino in Poipet City and then held him hostage over the loan, according to the National Police website.
Authorities were alerted to the situation when the suspects sought repayment from the victim’s family in China.
On Monday, the victim was rescued from the Only Star Hotel and the suspects were arrested, officials said.
“It was a loan problem between the victim and suspects,” said Vann Sry, a deputy immigration bureau chief in the province.
He declined to comment on how long the victim had been held or the size of the debt.
Earlier this month, five Chinese men who were accused of holding two bettors hostage over gambling loans in Phnom Penh were handed prison sentence.
