Synopsis: A mechanic surrenders to police after the killing of his wife in Kien Svay district following a domestic dispute.
A 49-year-old man has been arrested after surrendering to police and confessing to strangling his wife to death at their home in Kien Svay district, Kandal province.
Colonel Prum Samnang, chief of Kien Svay District Police, identified the suspect as Im Eng, 49, an engine mechanic, while the victim was identified as his wife, Ly Seiha, 40, a factory worker. The couple lived in Kandal village, Banteay Dek commune, Kien Svay district.
He said the murder occurred on October 25 after the victim returned home drunk from an outing with friends.
According to the suspect’s confession during police interrogation, his wife had been away from home all night before returning around 5am in an intoxicated condition.
Upon her arrival, the husband asked to borrow her mobile phone so he could connect it to an application for his tuk-tuk driving work. However, she told him that she had thrown the phone away before going to bed, prompting him to become jealous and angry.
“During questioning, the suspect admitted committing the crime, saying he became jealous and angry because he suspected his wife of having an affair with another man and that she frequently disappeared from home. He then used a fabric strap fitted with a metal ring to strangle her, killing her at the scene,” Col Samnang said.
“After killing his wife, he fled the scene in a tuk-tuk to avoid arrest,” he added.
On Monday, more than a week after the incident, following advice from his relatives, the suspect surrendered himself at the Kbal Koh Administrative Police Post, where he confessed to the crime.
Following questioning, Chbar Ampov district police handed him over to Kien Svay district police in Kandal province for legal proceedings, he said.
The suspect is accused of murder and faces up to 15 years in prison, if convicted.
Police are also continuing an investigation into the man whom the suspect accused of having an affair with his wife.
