Police yesterday asked Phnom Penh Municipal Court to issue nine arrest warrants for men they have identified as being involved in the alleged gang rapes of two women in Sen Sok district on the evening of Nov 12.
Deputy Sen Sok district police chief Chev Vibol said yesterday said police had discovered the suspects’ identities by interviewing the two women, aged 25 and 21 respectively, and from talking to locals who lived near where the rapes allegedly took place.
He said the police report of the incident was forwarded to the municipal court yesterday afternoon, with officers recommending that arrest warrants be issued for nine men who are believed to live in Phnom Penh Thmei commune-where the alleged rapes took place.
Earlier this week, the two women said they were raped on Nov 12 by at least eight men in a small vacant lot. They said the rapes only stopped when police officers arrived on the scene and shot their handguns in the air.
“We hope to arrest them one by one after the court issues arrest warrants to help our investigation police to search for them,” Mr Vibol said yesterday.
Mr Vibol said he expected that the arrest warrants would be beneficial for the police investigation as they would be sent out to police stations around the country. He added that police still believed the suspects had fled from Phnom Penh on Nov 12.
Only one man, Suon Chanthon, 24, has been charged over the rapes so far.
Am Sam Ath, technical adviser for rights group Licadho, said yesterday that his organization was organizing a lawyer for the two women and that they were expected to be questioned by municipal deputy prosecutor Kor Vandy on Nov 30 as part of the investigation.
The two women said yesterday that they had not gone back to the Sen Sok restaurant where they worked because they were embarrassed about what had happened.
The 21-year-old said yesterday that they had secured new jobs at another restaurant near where they lived.
