Decaying body believed to be of Chinese man found near outskirts of Cambodian capital

A decaying body believed to be that of a Chinese man in his 40s was found near the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, according to local reports reports on Wednesday. Authorities suspect the case may be connected to online fraud operations.

A decaying body believed to be that of a Chinese man in his 40s found near the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A decaying body believed to be that of a Chinese man in his 40s was found near the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, according to local reports on Wednesday.

The Khmer Times, a Cambodian English-language newspaper, reported that the body was discovered inside a sack in the Dangkor area on the outskirts of the capital. A resident of a nearby village reportedly opened the sack after noticing a foul odor, then alerted the police upon finding the corpse inside.

A local official said two men were seen in a vehicle near the scene the evening before the body was found. They parked the car, took out a large sack and dumped it in the woods before driving off, according to officials.

Police said the odor suggests that the victim had been killed several days prior, and that the suspects likely transported the body by car to dispose of it in a quiet area.

Authorities suspect the case may be connected to online fraud operations and are reviewing surveillance footage to identify the vehicle used to move the body. The identities of the victim and the suspects have not yet been confirmed.

The body was moved to a nearby temple for further investigation, according to the report.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY HYEON YE-SEUL [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]