An 18-year-old man has been detained for questioning over his suspected involvement in the mysterious killing of Khun Srey Mom, the wife of Funcinpec Ministry of Post and Telecommunications Secretary of State Khay Khun Heng, police said Tuesday.
Police held Kuoch Thol as a witness following the woman’s slaying at the CTV9 television studio in Phnom Penh on Friday, Deputy Municipal Police Commissioner Pol Phiethey said.
But Kuoch Thol is now being treated as a suspect and is due to be sent to the municipal court today, he said.
“We will send witness Kuoch Thul to the court so the judge can investigate more,” he added.
Khun Srey Mom, who was also a sister of Funcinpec Minister of Cult and Religions Khun Haing, was shot in the leg and either thrown or fell out of a third-floor window at the station in Tuol Kok district, in what police say was a robbery.
On Friday, Kuoch Thol told reporters he was in the room when Khun Srey Mom was attacked and had witnessed a man dressed in black enter the room and shoot the victim. Kuoch Thol said that after he was forced to cover Khun Srey Mom’s mouth with adhesive tape, the intruder then shot her. He added that he then lost consciousness and woke up on a roof two floors below the room where the incident had occurred.
But Kuoch Thul’s subsequent account has been inconsistent, Pol Phiethey said. “At first, the boy said he fell through the glass window. But when we checked his body, we did not find glass shards,” he said.
Sam Ratha, CTV9 deputy general manager, declined to discuss the case and referred questions to the police.
