A woman was arrested in Phnom Penh on Sunday after dousing her pregnant sister with acid in retaliation for an affair the victim was reportedly having with the suspect’s husband, police said.
Pov Pisey, 25, allegedly threw a liter of acid on her sister, Pov Sreyneang, 17, as the teenager sat playing cards with neighbors outside her rented house in Pur Senchey district’s Choam Chao commune, according to deputy commune police chief Nhor Serey.
“The suspect arrived at the house of the victim and saw the victim playing cards with other neighbors and poured acid in a plastic bucket and then threw it on the head of the victim,” Mr. Serey said, adding that Ms. Sreyneang was not seriously injured in the attack.
He said that Ms. Sreyneang, a garment worker, declined to file a police complaint against her older sister.
District police chief Yim Sarann said the victim had already been released from a local hospital, having escaped injury because her sister doused her with a very weak acid.
Mr. Sarann said Ms. Pisey nevertheless needed to be brought to justice for her “cruel act.”
“If it was a strong acid, the victim could have been handicapped or died,” he said, adding that the suspect would be sent to the municipal court to face charges Monday.
Mr. Sarann said the attack appeared to be motivated by jealousy.
“The suspect bought acid from Kompong Speu and attacked the victim because she got angry with her sister, who was having an affair with her husband,” he said.
