Five men and a woman were charged with fraud on Saturday after taking advance payments for solar panels from 34 families in Kompong Thom province before fleeing without delivering the panels, officials said.
Ith Sothea, a provincial court prosecutor, said on Sunday that the six had been placed in pre-trial detention after being charged, but he could not remember their names. If found guilty, they could face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to six million riel (about $1,500).
Oum Outh, chief of Kompong Svay district’s Chey commune, explained on Sunday how the six had tricked 17 families into buying small 100-watt solar panels on March 13 after going door-to-door in Moho village.
“They asked the villagers to pay $100 in advance, and they promised to bring the solar panels to them that day,” said Mr. Outh, noting that the group had told villagers that the solar unit was worth $400, and that they could pay back the rest of the money over time.
After collecting the cash, however, the six alleged fraudsters disappeared from the area one-by-one without delivering the promised solar units.
“The last one gave the village chief 60,000 Riel [$15] to buy groceries and he went to buy food,” he said, at which point the individual also left the village and 17 families $100 poorer. Mr. Outh said the families immediately filed charges with commune police.
The same trick was then apparently repeated in Stung Sen City’s Roluos village on Friday, hours before the group was arrested, said city police chief Nhem Chhunly.
He confirmed that a further 17 families had payed $100 for solar panels and complained to police after they didn’t receive the goods. With the alleged fraudsters being arrested in Stung Sen City later that night, police were able to reunite villagers there with their missing money.
“When arresting the offenders, police confiscated the people’s money, returning it directly to the families,” he said, declining to explain how the six had been identified and arrested.
