Kamboul district police in Phnom Penh are working to identify suspects after the discovery of a corpse in a pond in Tuol Talat village.

Kamboul commune police chief Phan Phoeun said on Thursday that four villagers went to look for lotus flowers and catch fish in the pond on Tuesday when they found the body of a man, whose legs and arms were tied.

They immediately reported the discovery to commune police.

Phoeun said the man was killed in the bush and dragged into the nearby pond, likely on Monday night. The yet unidentified victim is in his 30s and was wearing a grey shirt and trousers.

He said multiple assailants were involved in the murder based on the condition of the body and the way it was tied up.

After examining the body, police placed it at Ang Boeung Chak pagoda in Kamboul commune, hoping his family will come forward to take possession of the body.

“We are working very hard to identify those involved,” he said.

Nong Sovanroth, who conducted the autopsy, said the victim was stabbed seven times in his chest and other parts of the body with a sharp object.

“There were injuries caused by stabbing on his chest and body which had not begun to decompose,” he said.

He said police found evidence of drug use in bushes near the pond, along with blood from the victim in the bushes and toward the pond.

“The victim was killed and then thrown into the pond,” he said.