Police in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, launched a joint raid on several suspected telecommunication fraud dens in the city center, successfully arresting 234 suspects, including 149 Vietnamese and 85 Cambodians.
This operation was led by the Deputy Mayor of Phnom Penh, Hong Suli, in collaboration with the police, gendarmerie, and other departments. The raid targeted a "fake construction site" at No. 128 in the Tuol Kouk district's Salipab area and an 8-story apartment building in the Sensok district. During the raid, the police seized a large number of tools used for committing crimes, including 47 desktop computers, 19 laptops, 28 mobile phones, 1 iPad, 6 safes, and 8 passports.
Additionally, at the Sensok district site, 3 Chinese male suspects were arrested. The police noted that there were also 3 chefs (including 1 woman) and 1 cleaner at the site, who are currently under investigation for possible involvement in the fraud activities.
The arrested suspects and related evidence have been transferred to the Phnom Penh Police Department for further interrogation, and the apartment has been temporarily sealed by the police as a key scene.
That morning, the Chairman of the Cambodian National Committee for Counteracting Cyber Fraud, who is also the Prime Minister, Hun Manet, held an urgent closed-door meeting in Phnom Penh. He gathered provincial governors, police chiefs, and gendarmerie commanders from across the country to deploy a nationwide crackdown, demonstrating Cambodia's zero-tolerance stance against transnational cyber fraud.
The KSA stated that such cases are spreading nationwide and will continue to be eradicated periodically to prevent Cambodia from becoming a hotbed of international fraud and to maintain national security and international image. The police also emphasized that the investigation and financial tracking of peripheral participants and masterminds behind the scenes are still being intensively carried out.
The arrested individuals include not only a large number of direct suspects but also many peripheral support roles such as electricians, security guards, chefs, and cleaners, who provide logistical and technical support to the fraud syndicates. Currently, 23 Vietnamese women and 17 Cambodian women are involved in the case and are undergoing further investigation to clarify their involvement.
This operation marks another significant strike by Cambodia in combating cybercrime. Despite the government establishing multiple inter-departmental agencies, the extensive fraud centers within the country, which involve state complicity and connections with transnational criminal gangs, are still disclosed by international media and human rights organizations.