A Phnom Penh kickboxer was arrested Monday on suspicion of killing a former sparring partner, police said.
Little-known kickboxer Sin Sovanrith, 23, and accomplice Keo Bora, 27, are suspected of beating and then stabbing another kickboxer to death in Srah Chak commune early Monday, said Daun Penh district deputy police chief Yim Socheat.
At the time of his death, the victim, Chey Baraing, 21, was a fighter with the Khleang Moeung kickboxing club, but had once trained alongside Sin Sovanrith in the RCAF club, said Sok Vichey, the victim’s coach.
According to police, Chey Baraing spent Saturday night in the room of Sin Sovanrith, who, upon waking, discovered that some kitchenware and 1,500 riel (about $0.37) had disappeared.
Suspecting that his guest was the culprit, Sin Sovanrith and Keo Bora before the two went to Chey Baraing’s rented room around midnight, Yim Socheat said.
The three men then walked to the Royal University of Fine Arts campus, where Sin Sovanrith attacked Chey Baraing with a rock and stick while Keo Bora stabbed him in the back, killing him, Yim Socheat said.
The suspects are scheduled to appear at Phnom Penh Municipal Court today.
