Local prosecutors in Cambodia investigating the case of a South Korean university student who died after being tortured have indicted three Chinese nationals on charges of murder.
According to Cambodian state-run AKP News Agency on October 11 (local time), the Kampot Provincial Prosecutor's Office indicted three Chinese nationals in their 30s and 40s, including a 35-year-old identified as A, on charges of murder and fraud the previous day.
The suspects are accused of murdering a South Korean university student in his 20s, identified as B, near Bokor Mountain in Kampot Province, Cambodia, this past August. According to a spokesperson for the Kampot Prosecutor's Office, B was found dead inside a black car around 2 a.m. on August 8. Two Chinese suspects, including A, who were in the car with B, were immediately arrested. Authorities later raided a villa near Bokor Mountain, believed to be the crime scene, and apprehended an additional Chinese accomplice in his 30s.
When police discovered B, his body showed numerous bruises and wounds consistent with severe torture. Local police also listed the cause of death as "cardiac arrest due to torture" on the official death certificate.
B had told his family on July 17 that he was going to attend a local expo before departing for Cambodia, after which he went missing. It is reported that B's family received threats from an extortionist speaking with a Chinese-Korean (Joseonjok) accent, demanding over 50 million won and claiming that B had caused trouble that needed to be resolved. The family then reported the incident to the South Korean police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
However, on this day, Cambodia's Ministry of Interior released a statement denying foreign media reports that B's bereaved family had requested assistance from the embassy or local police, stating that no complaints or information had been received. The ministry also said that relevant authorities are closely cooperating with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Cambodia to ensure all necessary procedures are carried out smoothly and that they are continuing to track down the remaining accomplices.
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