Asian Bank Robbed of US$ 40,000

Written by DAP NEWS -- Friday, 25 September 2009

(CAAI News Media)

A light handed driver almost got away with US$40,000 from the Asian Bank at the Phnom Penh Interna-tional Airport on Tuesday, local police said.

Bank officials were surprised when Chao Ratana, 40, himself a bank staff member tied up a cashier and made off with US$40,000.

Chao Ratana, an Asian Bank driver, of Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district, robbed cashier Sour Thavy, 20, according to police officers.

Sour Thavy reported to the local police that US$38,471 was pilfered by Chao Ratana. Thavy added that Ratana “drove his car away, but at 21:30 pm, he came back to the office, then I asked him ‘Why did you came back?’ He replied to me ‘I have to fix the computer keyboard.’ He came into the office for a moment, after that he tied me and said ‘I am so poor, so I apologize because I need money.’ He collected money from the desk cash and drove away quickly.”

An hour later the local police arrived, a source said.

There are suspicions that the robbery had been planned for some time previously, one source said.

Dang Kor district, Kakap commune, has already seen three robberies recently. Although no-one has publicly suggested the withdrawal of the commune’s police chief, a similar situation in Preak Leap recently saw the local police chief removed from his position, the anonymous source noted.

The case will be further investigated pending a criminal case at court.