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Over 30 police and gendarmes officials in Kampot province were arrested Wednesday after allegedly conspiring to break into a casino to steal evidence following its raid over hosting scam operations, local authorities said.
Those detained included a deputy provincial police commissioner, a police inspector and his deputy, military police officers from a border battalion and other officials.
The officers were arrested after allegedly cutting several locks and entering a casino compound near the Prek Chak border crossing with Vietnam in an attempt to steal equipment seized as evidence during an earlier crackdown on scam operations, according to local media reports.
Kampot provincial police chief Mao Chanmathurith, who oversees the department where many of the arrested officers worked, confirmed the arrests but declined to comment further and did not identify the casino involved.
Casinos, many clustered along Cambodia’s border areas, have frequently been identified as fronts for scam compounds. The United Nations has said the compounds in the region generate tens of billions of dollars annually and relies on at least 300,000 workers from dozens of countries, many of them trafficked, forced or coerced into the operations.
Several casinos across the country have had their licenses revoked in recent months after reportedly hosting online scam operations, though authorities have not announced criminal charges against owners.
The government said it had shut down 91 casinos and more than 250 online scam locations between July 2025 and mid-April this year, while deporting more than 18,800 foreigners allegedly involved in the industry since January.
Authorities have not clarified how many may have been trafficked or coerced into the operations.though it did not clarify how many may have been trafficked or coerced.
National Police spokesperson Chhay Kim Khoeun said the investigation was ongoing and declined to provide further details.
National Military Police spokesperson Eng Hy declined to comment but said an unnamed police division and prosecutors were investigating the case.
