Police in Pursat province said they were searching for an identified suspect after the bloated, bloodied corpse of a Land Management Ministry official was discovered on Wednesday.
The body of 26-year-old Heng Rothanak, who worked for the ministry in Phnom Kravanh district, was found in a rented room after his landlady became suspicious because she had not seen him leave his room for two days, according to Keo Sokunthea, deputy provincial police chief.
“When she was cleaning the building, she knocked at the door to call to the victim, but she didn’t hear any answer,” he said. “Then she opened the door and saw the swollen body laying on the bed.”
The victim had sustained two hefty cuts to his head and hand, while a bloodied meat cleaver was later found near the room, he said. Police had already identified a suspect in the murder, Mr. Sokunthea said, but declined to divulge further details before an arrest was made.