Four Phnom Penh women who allegedly conned dozens of fellow Cambodians out of money with empty promises of employment in Japan were arrested during a raid on Friday afternoon, according to a posting to the National Police website.
About 25 people had fallen victim to the Asian A.P. job recruitment agency in Pur Senchey district’s Kakab commune, where they had been charged up to $200 in exchange for jobs in Japan—but not a single one was paired with an employer, the post said.
After receiving complaints, Interior Ministry anti-human trafficking police officers raided the office, arresting Sak May Heang, 63; Mom Srey Mab, 22; Thorn Srey On, 24; and Kat Srey Lorth, 36, for questioning, it added.
According to So Vandy, director of the ministry’s anti-human trafficking department, complainants had reported paying between $50 and $200 to register for jobs with the agency.
Police officers observed high numbers of people visiting the premises that was the subject of the complaints, he said, and entered to inspect the company’s business license before arresting the four employees at about 3 p.m.
“We saw that people were gathering at the recruitment agency where there was no company sign,” Mr. Vandy said.
He added that the suspects were being held at the ministry’s headquarters for further questioning, but that it remained unclear if they had committed any crimes.
“If we accuse anyone, we must have enough evidence to inculpate them. We cannot charge anyone without evidence,” he said.
