Two men were arrested on Sunday for their alleged roles in the murder of a Vietnamese shopkeeper in the border town of Angkor Borei in Takeo province after they bought a bottle of alcohol and refused to pay, police said Monday.
The suspects, Srun Vuth, 24, and Sran Sarun, 26, went to a shop owned by the victim, who police identified as Nguyen Phi Beba, 59, on Sunday afternoon, asked for a bottle of rice wine worth around $5, and drove away, saying that they would pay for the bottle later, according to Hou Hoeun, Kok Thloak commune police chief.
Later that afternoon, they returned to the shop and asked for another bottle, also declining to pay.
“The victim was angry and demanded her money, refusing to sell them any more wine,” Mr. Hoeun said. “So they attacked her and hit her on the head until she died.”
Mr. Hoeun said that the woman was hit over the head with a cleaver and a metal bar, which were later found near the crime scene.
Mak Vy, Angkor Borei district technical police chief, said the victim lived in Vietnam’s An Giang province and commuted across the border to tend her shop in Takeo.
Mr. Vy said that local officials from Vietnam had repatriated the victim’s body to her relatives, and are still questioning the suspects, who will be transported to the provincial police station tomorrow.
