A man suspected of being the culprit in a kidnapping case from last November is now in Russey Keo district police custody after he was arrested by a joint force on Saturday in Kampong Chhnang town, deputy head of National Police’s felony office Nuon Sammit said.

Sammit said officers from the felony office, the Interior Ministry’s Security Department and the Kampong Chhnang police chief had worked together to arrest the man.

“We are keeping him [the suspect] at the district police station,” he said.

Kol Yi, Russey Keo district police chief, briefly told The Post that the suspect, identified as Sreng Borei, 23, was held for questioning while the case is being processed.

Kampong Chhnang town police chief Chhay Khemaroth said on November 20, Borei had kidnapped a 13-year-old boy in front of the Modern 5 conference centre on National Road 5 in Phnom Penh.

The suspect, he continued, had called the victim’s parents and demanded a $200 ransom. In the end, the mother paid $500 for her son’s release.

Khemaroth added that upon receiving a complaint from the victim’s family, the authorities launched an investigation, during which they tracked Borei’s whereabouts.

“He had been on the run. We received some information that he had stayed in Kampong Chhnang town, then the arrest happened."

“We arrested the suspect at 5pm when he was alone. Later on, at night, we brought him to Phnom Penh,” he said.

Further information shows that Borei is unemployed and has no fixed residence.