Banteay Meanchey provincial military police yesterday questioned and then released the owner and manager of a karaoke parlor in Poipet City over the alleged gang rape of a 26-year-old woman at their establishment, military police said.
The victim claims she was attacked by five men at the parlor in Poipet commune, where she worked as a waitress. Poipet City deputy military police commander Tam Bola said yesterday that the victim also accused parlor owner of forcing her into a room with the men.
Provincial deputy police commander Or Borin, however, said his office released the owner and her manager, Korng Sreyleak, 35, after questioning them yesterday for a lack of evidence.
“It is not proven to be true yet,” he said of the rape allegations against the two. “I have recorded their identities and sent it to the court. It is now the investigating judge’s decision. If the court finds out that they are involved we will get them back.”
Mr Borin said his officers were also searching for two other suspects in the case, Chhun Sarath, 27, and Tep Vuthy, 19, and had sent the three men they arrested last week to provincial court. He identified the three as Meng Chanthorn, 24, Keo Polin, 27, and Seng Sareth, 25, adding that Mr Sarath was the parlor owner’s son.
“Two of the arrested suspects [Mr Chanthorn and Mr Polin] confessed to their acts while the son of the owner of the parlor did not,” Mr Borin said.
According to Mr Borin, Mr Chanthorn confessed to raping the woman once and Mr Polin confessed to raping her twice.
“We send them to the court, and it has the authority either to detain them on not,” Mr Borin said, adding that arrest warrants for the suspects at large were still pending.
Poipet Military Police commander Men Saron said Friday that he suspected that the two men, believing their crime would not be discovered, were probably still in the province.
