A 26-year-old man was arrested Friday and charged in Siem Reap yesterday for allegedly beating and detaining a 16-year-old girl after luring her from her Battambang home and family.

Pang Veasna, who allegedly brought the girl to Siem Reap and kept her locked in his house, was charged with the unlawful removal of a minor.

“[Veasna] abducted a 16-year-old girl from her family in Battambang province to live with him as his wife in Siem Reap province. He has often beaten her and locked her in his house,” Captain Mok Sam Oun, deputy chief of Siem Reap police force, said.

“He was charged by the court … and was sent to prison yesterday,” he added.

Veasna was arrested on Friday after the victim, who is thought to have been missing since September 15, called her mother, who then alerted police.

If found guilty, Veasna could serve between two and five years in prison.