A monk in Kratie province was defrocked and arrested on Monday after allegations surfaced that he raped a minor near his pagoda in Tamao commune.

According to a report from Prek Prasap district police, 20-year-old Nam Bun Nang was defrocked after the family of a 14-year-old girl filed a complaint alleging that he had raped her at their home on Sunday, while all of her relatives were out.

“He came out from the pagoda wearing a simple suit and entered the victim’s house near the pagoda to rape the girl,” the report says. “One day later, the family filed a complaint to police. We arrested him immediately after he was defrocked.”

Yesterday, Bun Nang was transferred to the provincial police station for questioning, according to officials.

Heang Chive Kun, a provincial coordinator for Adhoc, said the rights group was also investigating the case, confirming only that “the suspect was a monk”.

Elsewhere in Cambodia, in May, a former monk in Battambang province was charged with raping a 10-year-old girl and has since been detained at the provincial prison.