Kampong Tralach district police are hunting a purportedly mentally ill man who allegedly killed his sister and brother-in-law on Saturday in Kampong Chhnang province.

District police chief Mat Ly said yesterday that the victims, Mun Chanthom, 35, and her husband, Sorm Keo, 53, who lived at Trapeing Somrong village with the suspect, were allegedly slashed to death by Mun Ta Oun, 33, when they were resting after lunch.

According to Ly, the villagers claimed the suspect was a “madman”.

“The suspect used an axe to slash the victims in the head and stomach many times. According to the witnesses living nearby, the suspect is a madman and he [had] hit villagers twice, but in the past, no one died,” he said.

Ly added that the villagers said the suspect escaped immediately into the forest after the alleged assault, and police are still searching for him.

Ly expressed confusion about the suspect’s mental state and behaviour, saying that “If [the suspect] really had mental illness, he would not have run away.”

“If he really has mental illness, he will come back home, and we can arrest him easily. If he does not have mental illness … it will be difficult to arrest him because until now, we have tried to find him at Samaki Meanchey district where his parents’ home is, but we still could not find him,” he said.