PHNOM PENH – Two Japanese men in their 20s were arrested in Cambodia late Sunday on suspicion of killing a taxi driver in the north of the country, a local police official has said.
The men were identified as Reimon Ishida, 23, originally from Chiba Prefecture, and Ryuji Nakakuki, also 23, originally from Fukushima Prefecture.
The two are said to have admitted killing Him Chan, 40, with a knife at around 5 p.m. Sunday in order to steal his taxi, which they planned to use to commit further crimes, according to Huot Sothy, deputy police chief in Siem Reap Province.
The pair arrived in Siem Reap on Saturday via Thailand.
On Sunday morning, they allegedly hired a car and driver to take them to the neighboring province of Banteay Meanchey with the intention of stealing the vehicle. They decided not to steal the car after discovering it was equipped with a camera, police said.
They are alleged to have then hired a taxi driver on the way back to Siem Reap before killing him and stealing his car, the official said.
After allegedly stealing the car, the suspects almost immediately collided with a truck and came to a halt in front of a house about 300 meters away, police said. The incident occurred in a village in Puok District, about 18 kilometers from the town of Siem Reap.
The victim lived in Siem Reap and was a father of four, according to the official.
Under Cambodian law, the suspects could face somewhere between 15 and 30 years in prison if convicted.
