Fortuneteller scams $ 510,000 from land brokers
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
An old woman claiming to be a fortuneteller was yesterday charged and
detained by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court accused of cheating $510,000 from
a couple who she allegedly tricked into selling more than 50 hectares of land
in Kampong Speu province between 2015 and 2016 that she never owned.
Investigating Judge San
Bunthoeun, identified the accused as Pok Saokhan, 63, a fortuneteller
living in Kambol district’s Kambol commune in Phnom Penh.
The accused was charged with two
counts of “fraud and breach of trust” under Articles 377, 378, 391 and 392 of
the Criminal Code.
The accused was arrested on October
24, and if convicted, faces between 6 months and three years in prison.
Commissariat of Phnom Penh
Municipal Police Major Vong Sareth said yesterday that the two victims were
identified as Khong Seanghy and his wife Sok Chenda, both are land brokers
living in Toul Kork district’s Phsar Depo I commune.
Maj Sareth said that according to
the victims, they became familiar with the accused after visiting her house in
2015 and asked her if she could tell them about the future success of their
business.
“The victims said the accused
recommended that they buy 55 hectares of land she owned in Kampong Speu
province’s Samrong Tong district,” Maj Sareth said.
He said that because the accused
had earned the trust of the victims through her fortunetelljing abilities, they
negotiated a price for the land of $510,000.
He added that the two parties made
a contract then the victims started depositing money with the accused until the
balance of $510,000 for the land was settled in 2016.
“After the accused received the
payments from victims, she did not have any land to hand over to the victims as
per the contract,” he said.
“When the victims demanded their
money back, she did not have any money to repay them. She asked the victims to
delay payment and promised to find other land,” he said, adding: “She did not
have any land for them and she never repaid the victims until today.”
He added that to claim for damages,
the victims later lodged the complaint against the accused with the Phnom Penh
Municipal Court in 2019, which led to her arrest on Monday.
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