asianews

Written by DAP NEWS -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief showed the faces of robbers involved in a recent spate of armed robberies of jewelry vendors in July, local police said on Monday.Phnom Penh Municipal Vice Police Chief Po Phithey wrote in a press release that police noticed robbery activities up in July.“In July 2009, there were 11 cases,” he said.Phnom Penh Municipal Police cooperated with others, including the Police Headquarters Office, to solve these problems, with the result that arrested for four groups of robbers.Crimes “such as a foreigner robbed at night for money,” had been closed he said, as well as “a second robbery in Dangkor district where a group of robbers robbed a motorcycle; three of them were arrested, and there were 8 cases, two in the provinces, where local police made arrests, too.”Firearms—an AK47, handguns and 180 bullets—were recovered, he added.“Some robbers are now hiding in the provinces after we arrested some associates,” Po Pithey said. “May be they will try to recreate a new team.”Some sources alleged that the gangs were also involved in the killings of two high-ranking Govern- ment officials, Keo Iv and Sok Chan Sophal.Eighteen robbers were arrested after taking gold and other jewelry to sell at the Heng Ly market, he said.Cambodian jewelry vendor at Heng Ly market Sao Sophea said that “If I knew it was illegal I would not buy.”At the end of the press conference, Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Touch Naroth said that “We managed our members to destroy and arrest all robber groups, not only in the city, but in other provinces as well.”The robbers apparently planned to rob Kandal, Kampong Cham and Skun markets, he said.He pledged to continue to arrest robbers and send them to court