A 57-year-old hairdresser was arrested on Friday for allegedly conspiring with a Chinese national to sell 120 fake gold coins, supposedly from the Qing Dynasty, military police said Sunday.
The hairdresser, Chan Lina, allegedly acted as a broker between the Chinese fraudster and the victim, Chhay Lengheng, a rice vendor who paid $50,000 to buy the counterfeit coins.
The exchange took place at Ms. Lina’s salon, the Ly Na Haircut Shop, in Daun Penh district’s Phsar Thmei III commune.
“The cheater said those gold coins were found in an ancient grave in China, but he dared not to sell it in China,” said deputy municipal military police commander Pol Davy.
“The victim was cheated by a Chinese man who said this gold was from the Qing Dynasty, and the Chinese man escaped after receiving $50,000.”
Ms. Lina told police that she was not aware the coins were fake.
However, Ms. Lengheng alleges that the hairdresser allowed the Chinese man to escape with the money after the fraud was discovered, said deputy Daun Penh military police commander Ly Kimleng.
