Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court charged a Chinese national with kidnapping after he was arrested on September 5 in commune III, Preah Sihanouk town in Preah Sihanouk. Police are searching for others involved in the crime.

Court spokesman Lim Bun Heng told The Post on Monday that Zhang Kun Duan, 21, was jailed on Sunday.

“He is being detained. He was charged with kidnapping, but I do not remember under which article,” he said.

Deputy provincial police chief Kol Phaly said on Monday that police are searching for others because the suspect confessed there were more people involved. Phaly said he could not confirm their identities or numbers.

He said police received a call on Friday of a Chinese man trafficking drugs.

“We went to the location and found a Chinese man whose hands were tied with rope. He was covered with tape and injured. There was a bag of white powder (suspected of being a drug substance) in his backpack, and we took him in for questioning,” he said.

A National Police report on Monday said the suspects held the victim and demanded money. They then planted the powder in the victim’s bag to throw off police. Police said upon testing, the white substance turned out to be flour, not drugs.

The victim, Hu Dao Long, 35, is from Wuhan city, Hubei province, China. He is a construction contractor in Phnom Penh. He sustained injuries to his hands, legs and neck, according to the police report.