A businessman in Banteay Meanchey province could face murder charges for running over his wife with a pick-up truck after she caught him on a date with another woman on Thursday evening, officials said.
Sao Sim, 38, who runs a small construction company in Serei Saophoan City, had taken his mistress, identified only by the nickname “Mom,” to the MT Night Market in Preah Ponhea commune, where he was spotted by his wife, Meas Sary, 30, when she arrived to take their son shopping shortly before 7 p.m., according to police.
Meas Sary had noticed her husband’s black Nissan Navara parked adjacent to the market and approached the truck on her motorbike to investigate, according to San Kim Suor, chief of the provincial police’s traffic bureau.
“She saw that her husband was having a good time with his girlfriend inside the vehicle and became very angry and tried to disrupt their outing,” he said.
The wife parked her motorbike in front of the truck to prevent her husband from driving away, then tried to force her way into the vehicle, shouting at the pair inside, the bureau chief said.
When Mr. Sim opened a door in an attempt to calm her down, she lunged at the mistress and the two women began grappling, leading her husband to shove her out of the truck again, he said.
Eventually, the bureau chief said, “the guy got really angry and sped in reverse, crashing into the victim next to the market and seriously injuring her.” He said Mr. Sim was arrested at the scene and brought to the provincial police headquarters for questioning.
“We are building a case and when it is finished, we will send him to court,” he said.
According to Serei Saophoan police chief Sim Socheat, Meas Sary succumbed to injuries sustained in the collision while en route to the city referral hospital.
“We quickly sent the victim to be resuscitated at the hospital, but she had already passed away when she arrived there,” he said.