Four Vietnamese nationals were arrested yesterday on charges of kidnapping, torture and extortion, police in Kampot province have said.

The three men and one woman are accused of kidnapping two other Vietnamese nationals from a casino in Kampot province and detaining them at a location in Preah Sihanouk province in an attempt to extort $14,000 from their families, according to police.

Brigadier General Mao Chan Meak Thurith, deputy chief of Kampot provincial police, said the four suspects were arrested after their families lodged complaints with his office on Tuesday.

“The four Vietnamese [suspects] worked at a Vietnamese casino based on the Cambodia-Vietnam border, in Kampot province’s Prek Chak commune,” he said. “They kidnapped the victims, who are gamblers, from Kampot to illegally detain them for money extortion.”

The victims were the targets of a loan scam operating out of the casino, according to police. After losing several games at the casino, the men were unable to pay back the money they had borrowed, leading to their kidnapping.

“According to their [the suspects’] answers, one victim was detained by them for 23 days, and another victim was detained over a week,” Chan Meak Thurith said.