Three Arrested Over Murder of Garment Worker

Three garment workers were arrested in Phnom Penh over the past two days for their alleged roles in the fatal stabbing of their colleague at his home on Monday night, officials said Wednesday.

According to police, Morn Phan, 20, a line worker at the Weibo Best factory in Pur Senchey district, was stabbed to death at his house in Dangkao district’s Pong Toek commune after a group of five or six suspects followed him home after work on Monday.

Police say the men likely attacked Morn Phan because he stood up to them after they bullied him and his friends as they were leaving the factory on Saturday.

Pong Toek commune police chief Vorn Saroeun said two of the suspects were arrested Wednesday—Nop Sokhem, 21, at the Weibo Best factory and Phin Phors, 22, at his home in Takeo province’s Bati district. A third suspect, Nhek On, 21, was apprehended at the factory on Tuesday.

“First we arrested [Mr. On] at the factory on Tuesday when he was working in the morning,” Mr. Saroeun said. “I asked the factory administrator, then he brought us to where the suspect was working then we arrested him.”

“Before we arrested the second suspect, [Mr. Sokhem], we were patrolling around the factory. Then we saw the suspect and we were able to arrest the suspect inside the factory,” he said.

Bati district police chief Ngann Sary said his officers detained Mr. Phors as he attempted to leave his home.

“After I got the report from Phnom Penh police on Tuesday, I started to investigate,” Mr. Sary said. “We arrested the suspect when he was on his motorbike, about to go to work at the factory.”

Deputy Dangkao district police chief Sim Bunroth said the men were being questioned at the district police station, and that all three denied killing their colleague.

“The three that were arrested for the murder deny the allegations and say they only hit the victim, so we need more time to question them, to find out if they stabbed the victim or not,” he said.

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