Wednesday, 23 January 2008

Cheap Cambodian kidnapper caught after refusing to pay taxi fare

Wed, 23 Jan 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - A Cambodian man who allegedly kidnapped a five-year-old girl from her provincial home and brought her to the capital to sell was caught when he arrived at his destination and argued about the taxi fare, police said Wednesday. Pech Sopheak, 23, took the girl from her Kampong Chhnang home around 100 kilometres from the capital Monday, but when he arrived he would not pay so the driver called the police, Kampong Chhnang chief of anti-trafficking General Prack Soany said.

"The police compared the girl with him to a picture of the kidnapped girl and arrested him," she said. "His problem was caused by 10,000 riel (2.50 dollars)."

She said Sopheak had admitted he was going to sell the child to an elderly couple who only had boys of their own and wanted a daughter but that she had now been returned safely to her family.

If convicted he faces up to 20 years in jail.

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