A 24-year-old Chinese man recently flew from Hong Kong to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Just a few hours after landing, he was found dead at the 17-kilometer point on Phnom Penh’s Route 3.
According to Red Star News, the incident occurred on July 31st, when a man was found dead on the roadside in a suburban area of Phnom Penh. Local police received a report and arrived at the scene, discovering a gray backpack containing a passport, ID card, three credit cards, toiletries, a plane ticket from Hong Kong to Phnom Penh, and a visa fee receipt, showing that the victim arrived in Cambodia at 11 p.m. on July 30.
The deceased was confirmed to be a 24-year-old Chinese man surnamed Wu. Only 5 hours elapsed from the time he got off the plane to when he was killed.
Police stated that based on the numerous injuries on the victim’s body and the manner in which he was abandoned, it is preliminarily determined to be a premeditated murder case.
A 28-year-old tuk-tuk driver testified that while driving through the area in the early hours of July 31st, he saw someone lying by the roadside. On closer inspection, he confirmed the person was dead, so he reported it to the police.
Police reviewed nearby CCTV footage and found that at 2:36 a.m. on July 31, a black car was seen traveling north to south at high speed, dragging the victim to the 17-kilometer point on Phnom Penh’s Route 3 before fleeing the scene.
Currently, police have sent the body to the nearby Changsar Temple for a preliminary autopsy.
Forensic examination reports showed the deceased was wearing a long-sleeved jacket and a short-sleeved shirt, with a large amount of soil on his back and a laceration on the right side. There were multiple bruises and abrasions across the body, concentrated on the back of the head, chest and abdomen, right shoulder, back, and limbs. In addition, blood was found coming from the nasal cavity, mouth, and ears. Preliminary determination is that the cause of death was severe head trauma.
The Khmer-China Times quoted an investigating police officer as saying that preliminary clues indicated the suspect is most likely a Chinese national. The authorities are currently tracking the identity and whereabouts of the suspect.